Basque ethnography at a glance
Source: Labayru Foundation Photo Archive. Author: Nerea Etxebarria.
The habits and ways of life of people who change over the years are prosperous, and it is ethnography that seeks collecting these transformations, to some extent.
One of these customs, which has been greatly altered by modern life, is that of small commerce. According to many correspondents and informants, the presence of women in workplaces has been one of the most significant changes in the family life of the twentieth and the twenty-first century so far. For a long time, families were larger, and it was common for three generations to live in the same house: grandparents, parents, and children. Besides, woman devoted herself to housework, and there was always someone at home.
Performance of the “Chain dance of Bercinjana” in Yécora (2016). Author: Emilio Xabier Dueñas.
The representation of the Cross, as an important element of the Passion of Jesus Christ, is very present in the field of the Christian religion, and its traditional symbology (the protective sign of communities, living family units, persons, animals, or possessions) is embodied in the pious sizes of places of worship, in the head-beds, or above the beds of eternal rest. It is painted on doors and windows, made or composed of several species of plants, or made, in an emblematic manner, as a remarkable gesture of Christianity.
Opening of the hermitage, July 31, 1949. Source: Juan Martin Iriondo.
It is a meadow under the hill of Belatxikieta, which had a small, damp, nice beech forest. Very close to it, seven sheep barns remain from the times when animal husbandry was strong. The place was chosen by the locals due to its excellent opportunities for this profession. From the Middle Ages the area was full of meadowlands, shelters, small streams, and mounds and herds full of wet grass for the cattle to graze.
On the other hand, the surrounding area was home to quite a few harmful beasts. To deal with them the pastors from Mugarra to Aramotz joined together in assemblies (azeri-batzarrak) to deal with the problem. These assemblies were held one year in Mugarra and the following year in Belatxikieta. In one of those assemblies, Don Emiliano Zuloaga, who was the new landowner in the vicinity of Zazpitxaboleta, joined together, as he saw that these pastors were concerned that there was no hermitage in the area. We must remember the strength of the Christian faith at the moment.
Bowling alley in Eskolunbe. Kuartango (Araba). Author: Bea Gallego.
They say boredom is good, that our brain appreciates it, because it allows us to reflect, organize our ideas, or reconnect with our real needs.
It may be true, then, that boredom is good. However, from a cultural point of view, what is truly interesting is the other side of the coin, which is the entertainment we use to mock boredom. Probably, because of the boredom caused by long hours of rain, winter darkness, or the sight of slow herds, to name but a few examples, by all the materials (textiles, wood, metal, leather, stone, vegetable fiber, etc.) that have contributed from generation to generation to the professional and domestic sphere, the most beautiful exhibits of traditional craftsmanship. Not forgetting, of course, other examples of creativity related to orality, music, or dance, in which tangible elements did not necessarily have to intervene.
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