Latest Blog Posts
A Unique Basque Festival: Tamborrada of San Sebastian
This Sunday, January 20th, the streets of Donostia-San Sebastián will fill thousands of people for the annual Tamborrada festival. It is the most significant festival for donostiarras (the locals of Donostia) all year.
The festival will see more than 15,000 people playing the drums for a full 24 hours. At midnight on January 20th, kicking off the feast day of the city’s patron Saint Sebastian, the mayor will raise the city flag on Constitution Square to mark the beginning of Tamborrada.
How Napoleon’s Nephew Played a Vital Role in Understanding the Basque Language
The Basque language, Euskara, is an endlessly fascinating subject.
Just as I’ve been obsessed with my Basque heritage since childhood, so have I been strangely obsessed with Napoleon Bonaparte.
So when these two interests of mine slightly overlap, I’m all over it.
But if you’re not a big fan of Napoleon, fair enough. He was kind of awful.
This story is really about his nephew anyway.
Prince Louis-Lucien Bonaparte, son of Napoleon’s brother Lucien, spent much of his life studying and documenting the dialects of the Basque language in the 19th century.
Best of 2018 on Hella Basque
It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m looking back. 2018 has been a big year for me.
Mostly because of Hella Basque.
2018 is the year I finally re-started this blog after putting it on hiatus a few years before.
I launched this new website in June and fellow bloggers Henar Chico of A Basque in Boise and Blas Uberuaga of Buber’s Basque Page were kind enough to spread the word.
Hella Basque also got a shout out in NABO’s Astero, which was much appreciated!
I’ve been enjoying reading your comments and messages ever since.
Where Should We Go in 2019?
With the new year coming up next week, I’ve been thinking about what direction to take Hella Basque in 2019.
And it occurred to me that the best people to consult on this issue would be you, the readers!
Because if left to my own devices, Hella Basque would just be a collection of rants about my Aita and the Basque news articles I’m reading.
I mean, I can still do that if you want.
But I figure you might have more varied interests than I do that could make Hella Basque better. More engaging, more interesting, and more helpful to the Basque American community online.
So I came up with this survey to condense all of my thoughts on what types of content to create in 2019 and ask you directly what you think.
Please take a couple of minutes to fill it out. I want to make this website better for you.
Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas
In case you’re like me and have been seriously procrastinating on finishing your Christmas shopping, I put together a list of things you can order off Amazon for the Basque enthusiasts in your life.
I have a complete Amazon shopping list of Basque things like books, music, and wall art, but I wanted to narrow it down for you to products that will ship to your house before Christmas.
That is, if you order today (or very soon).
And lucky for you, the fastest shipping items on the list are Basque food products and cookbooks! Who doesn’t like food?
Check it out.
Basques in the West: Interview with Amaya Oxarango-Ingram
A couple of weeks ago, a new Basque documentary was uploaded to YouTube: Basques in the West. It already has more than 1,700 views!
My parents religiously watch Family Feud every night after dinner, but for one evening last week, they allowed my sister to connect her computer to the TV and put on this film. Our first family movie night in years!
And it was well worth it. The documentary features lots of interviews with Basque immigrants and their descendents around the American West, with a particular focus on Idaho.
You know I love interviews. There’s nothing better than first-hand accounts to learn about Basque immigration.
So I’m excited to share that today we have the opportunity to hear from Basques in the West’s co-director, main producer, and writer, Amaya Oxarango-Ingram.
I wanted to learn more about the documentary and how it all came together. I also especially love learning from creative people about what motivates them, and what the process is like to go from having an idea to creating an amazing piece of work that benefits the community.
What follows is an interview I conducted with Amaya about Basques in the West.
Featured On
When I moved away for college, I left behind my Basque American community and felt very disconnected from my Basque identity. An isolation I imagine many in the diaspora may feel at one point or another.
My hope is that Hella Basque can help Basques in the diaspora feel more connected to their heritage, whether or not they have physical ties to a Basque community.
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