Culture

Saddled on the western Pyrenees, between Spain and France, and genuflecting into the Atlantic Ocean, the Basque Country has conserved its traditions, character and its language: euskara, the strongest element of a vibrant culture.
The reflection of our multifaced cultural wealth is best seen through.

Institut Culturel Basque

Dance

A means of social and recreational expression (Jantza jauziak or the Basque circle dance) and public presentation (dance upon glass).

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Song

Singing is just as present as dance in the Basque culture. All the emotions are expressed in song during public and private events; choirs, male or mixed, are predominant. A choral art, known as bertsularism, combines chanting, poetry and improvisation and is held in high esteem and passed on to younger generations where competition is keen.

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Music

Music in the Basque Country is an ancient tradition for stone age instruments have been found : a 3 hole flute carved from bird bone, dating back 20000 years, found in the nearby caves of Isturitz, the horn of Artxeta, discovered in Biscay able to produce 4 musical notes.

Basque music is quite rich, from classical and traditional to hard-rock. Styles, rhythms , interpretations and instruments vary. The mere mention of instrument names : txistu, xirula, alboka, txalaparta, ttun-ttun, trikitixa, gaita, pandero… evokes the lively cadence of Basque celebration, carnaval and concerts.

Pelote

Pelote, the Basque sport par excellence, with 22 distinct versions, is practiced on different courts : the fronton, the trinquet, the “mur à gauche”. Instruments used are the xistera (small or large whicker scoop), the pala (wooden racket) small or large, or simply the naked hand.

• La fédération : Fédération Française de Pelote
• Our addresses : Pelote

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Basque games of strength,

similar to the highland games, find their inspiration in the daily gestures of laborers.
Among the most exhilarating are the milk jug carriers race, the cereal sack carriers race, the lumber jack competition, the ox-cart event and the bailed hay hoisting competition. The tug-of-war pits village against village.

www.force-basque.org

The Basque language : Euskara

The origin of the Basque language remains a mystery but even so, it is probably Europe’s oldest language and possibly one of the oldest languages in the world. Many hypotheses exist; similitudes are made with the ancient Iberian language and modern Caucasian, but recent evidence indicates that Euskara has always been spoken in the Basque country.

Académie de la Langue Basque

This prehistoric and pre Indo-European language endures on both sides of the Pyrenees. Essentially oral rather than literary, written works arrived late on the scene with the printing of the first Basque language book in 1545 : a treatise on the Basque language by Bernard Detchepare. Presently, Basque literature is in expansion and the teaching of the Basque language to adults and children has become fashionable even though the relative number of Basque speakers has diminished.

Lets digress ... discover ... aquaint ... understand, we shall attempt to share our passion for the Basque Country by proffering some clues to her secrets.

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