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Blessing of the sanmarkos-opilak. Irun (Gipuzkoa), 1998. Photo credit: Antxon Aguirre.

We are about to address a custom which encompasses or combines various areas of traditional culture, such as parental relationships (including obligations and interactions), interrelations between age categories, religious beliefs and social protocols, cyclical aspects of our gastronomy, or even elements of customary law. Thus, godmothers and godfathers (aita-amabitxiak or aita-ama pontekoak) acquired a paschal commitment to present their godchildren with a special loaf of bread, year in, year out (sometimes until their wedding or religious consecration), known as karapaixoa (Debagoiena, in Gipuzkoa, and Aramaio, in Araba), garapaua in Elgeta (Gipuzkoa), adar-opila in Bidasoa (Gipuzkoa), aitatxi-amatxi opila in Baztan (Navarre), morrodoa in Garazi (Lower Navarre), morrokotea or mokotsa in Arratia, Durangaldea and Busturialdea (all three in Bizkaia)… And on the feast of St Mark (25 April), the sanmarkos-opila (Bidasoa and Oarsoaldea, both in Gipuzkoa), an almond cake, usual gift from godmothers during this classic festivity of blessing of fields.

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