Basque ethnography at a glance

Christmas parties have been part of the end of the year for a long time… (Photo: E. X. Dueñas)

In this blog we have already discussed Christmas and traditions on several occasions. What is more, when we reflect on this winter cycle, we inevitably and directly condition it in such a way that it is assumed as part of our “inveterate” customs, to say something out of context.

In fact, and generalizing, throughout the 20th century we have gone from celebrating Christmas Eve with the family, or at most as a neighborhood gathering accompanied with some dancing and singing, or attending the ‘misa del gallo’ (Midnight Mass celebrated in Spain) to going out on New Year’s Eve to frequent bars and parties, transferring this situation to the eve of the Three Kings (5th of january).

Christmas, spread across the globe, has replaced, whether we like it or not, certain rituals associated with the Winter Solstice. An example of this is the day of the Holy Innocents: persecution and mass infanticide. Curiously, something that, for centuries, has been considered history, that is, more real than fiction, becomes the opposite in thoughtful studies, as are the news reports of the different media during that day. Furthermore, with the existence of social media, hoaxes or fakes have become something common in our daily lives, not only on this date.

“¡Inocente, inocente,
que llevas la carga
y no la sientes!” (Bilbo)*

“Innocent, innocent,
you carry a burden,
and you don’t feel it!” (Bilbo)*

“Iñusente, potente,
txasko, txasko,
burua(ren) erdian
sartu dautse!” (Lekeitio)*

“Powerful innocent, letdown, letdown,
they have already put it in your head“ (Lekeitio)*

In a moment of carelessness… joke! July 1999 and it’s not a joke… or maybe it is. (Photo: E. X. Dueñas)

Without leaving aside the religious celebration of December 28th, in which an infant Saint Nicholas is crowned, dressed as a bishop in representation of the Church, we cannot forget those who have placed a plastic spider, or scattered sneezing powder to surprise, frighten or hilarity the audience.

Even if it is true that this type of jokes are no longer exclusive to that day, they have been common during a part of our past history and, and still are. We even have a clear example, from a century or more ago, about the so-called “heavy” jokes: the ‘erroldeak’ or ‘errondak’. These consisted of walking groups, like a parade, consisting of young people on their New Year’s Eve night, who dedicated themselves, among other things, to moving the carts used by the ‘baserritarras’ (lessors or property owners) to the main square. Sometimes, they were overturned by placing them upside down and, most of the time, they were hung up in trees. The next day, the stupefied expression on the owner’s face became an obvious difficulty for carrying out his work.

Tools growing on trees. (Photo: E. X. Dueñas)

Possibly jokes of this kind, but not the one aforementioned, continue to happen during this and other times of the year, but in the urban world, public or private, putting on festive accessories has become something common, due to the plurality and the introduction of new international fashions.

This is how during New Year’s Eve when, imbued with excitement, among so many firecrackers, fireworks, bells and other gadgets, accessories of all kinds are added and appear: from serpentines, confetti, hats, wigs, necklaces, false noses, glasses and masks, to gala dresses and costumes that go beyond the spontaneity of the moment.

Say Christmas period, if you wish, say Winter Solstice, referring to the change produced in the ​​well-being of Basque society, that has materialized in the different ways of celebrating these festivities that, saving the age categories, become a reference in the life of each and every person.

Emilio Xabier Dueñas

* DUEÑAS, Emilio Xabier; LARRINAGA, Josu Erramun (2011). Haur Folklorea Euskal Herrian. Irakaskuntzako materialak = El Folclore infantil en Euskal Herria. Materiales para su enseñanza. Jentilbaratz. Cuadernos de Folklore 13. Donostia: Eusko Ikaskuntza; pp. 474.-475.