Basque ethnography at a glance

Betting on a cock in Baranbio. Author: Felix Mugurutza.

Tomorrow, Saturday January 17th, the festival of Saint Anthony Abbot, patron saint of animals, is celebrated. That night, in the hermitage of Saint Anthony, in the town of Baranbio (Araba), located on the slopes of mountain Gorbeia, a peculiar and old-fashioned party will be held that includes candle auctions.

The few residents of this neighbourhood called Baranbiogoi are eagerly waiting for their date in the chapel, since it is the most significant date in the calendar. Therefore, this year they will repeat a tradition that, according to the local priest, dates back to at least the 18th century.

Inside the chapel, several citizens share a meal that they prepared, and then comes the most spectacular moment of the celebration.

Inside the church, in the middle of the night, the mayor of the neighbourhood or a young neighbour will start the auction of lots, with the objective of obtaining some money for the maintenance of the hermitage next year.

They show the attendees a lot of pig legs or ears, ready-to-eat stews, bottles of wine, roosters, etc. In addition, the award will be made through the old auction procedure under the candlelight, undoubtedly the most spectacular of the event.

Candlelight auctions were the form in which contracts, public services, works, supplies, rentals and most of the similar were awarded in all our towns, until they were prohibited by the Civil Prosecution Law in 1881.

Candle auction in Baranbio. Author: Felix Mugurutza.

At our celebration in Baranbio, everything will begin with the presentation of each lot and the announcement of its starting price. Next, a match will be lit and at that moment, the magic will begin. It will be the first of three.

While holding the lit match, the auctioneer will encourage those present to bid more and more, as it is done for a good reason.

The highest bid made when the third match is burned wins the lot. Nevertheless, to increase the emotion, if a bid is made during the third, three more will be lit. This way, the doubter will have the opportunity to finish off. Until a third match is consumed without pushing.

With each bid, the auctioneer will shout “Ardaoa!” (wine!) or “¡Vino!”. In addition, they will quickly go to the auctioneer to offer him a full glass of warm wine. So, as the night progresses, the hearts warm and the pockets become more generous.

When we leave, we will ask ourselves if the “candle auction” that we saw up there, so common in our country but that disappeared a century and a half ago, was not a dream. The cold, the fire, the screams and those matches… those matches that we will never forget.

Felix Mugurutza – Researcher