One more year, members of the Rhode Island Basque Club gathered last weekend for ‘Txitxiburduntzi‘, a Basque ritual celebrated on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
Roberto Guerenabarrena, president of the Rhode Island Basque Club, explains how on that Sunday, friends in the Basque Country would go to the mountains and enjoy all the products from a fresh pig. Even though Lent Season is long past, Riki Lasa -president of the Pelotari’s Union- has been organizing this event in May for many years now at his home in Connecticut.
Everyone gathered last weekend at Riki’s house to have chorizo and sausages, including Ander Caballero, the newly appointed Basque Government Delegate in the United States. In addition, attendees also enjoyed an entire pig roasted by Barbecue Master Patxi Gandiaga. Rhode Island Basque Club members participated in many Basque rural sports like sokatira (tug of war), txingaruten (weight carrying), txokorbatzen (corn collecting), or harrijasoketa (weight lifting).
The main event was a challenge of aizkolaris (wood cutters), where three new challengers set out to defeat the current champion Riki Lasa, and one of them did! The new champion is Juan Mari Aramendi, aka Troitixe.
I’m sorry for the late notice, I don’t know what I was thinking! But if you were looking for something to do this afternoon, here’s a great idea.
After nearly 3 months of games in the league, and three or four weeks playing the tournament, the baleen and pala finals will take place today, Saturday 11 at 1:00 PM, right before the start of Mother’s Day dinner, the last Euzkaldunak dinner until the fall.
Women’s B League will kick off the competition, followed by Men’s B League, Women’s A League and Men’s A League. These will be exciting games (two of them 2 vs. 1!), so come check them out. Bring friends, drinks, snacks, whatever you would like!
The fronton is located in the basement of the old Anduiza Hotel at 619 Grove Street in Boise, Idaho.
In the B League Finals for Women’s Baleen: Kodi/Carianne will take on Kristina (her partner can’t make it)
In the B League Finals for Men’s Pala: Esther/Juan vs. Rich/Pedro (the number one team Jerry/Mike unfortunately had a scheduling conflict)
In the A League Finals for Women’s Baleen: Esther/Miren will take on Anne-Marie (her partner is gone as well)
In the A League Finals for Men’s Pala: Sarria/Schaffner (they have to win 2 games to win the championship) vs. Boyd/Sangroniz
I have followed Mark’s blog pretty much since the beginning, so for about two years now. I like it because it is eclectic and you never know what you’re going to find: sarcasm, politics, personal reflections, interviews, sports, newspaper articles. Whatever the day brings, however, it will be interesting. Like today’s post, for example, which features an interview with Basque Country’s president, Iñigo Urkullu.
Last October, the Basque Nationalist Party won the election in the Basque Country. Patxi Lopez stepped down from his role as Lehendakari in favor of Iñigo Urkullu. Shortly after winning the election, Urkullu wrote an open letter to the Diaspora, where he mentioned a “policy of rapprochement and commitment to the entire Basque community abroad”.
In his interview, Mark expands on that topic with the Lehendakari, but also asks about his goals for the future (both in general and regarding the Basque diaspora), the current economic situation, or his plans for independence.
You can read the entire interview on his website, bieterblog.com.
Are you feeling homesick? Looking for summer fun? Lucky for you, Basque festival season has officially started in the USA.
Fresno’s is the first of many Basque Festivals which will take place across the States from May until the middle of September. Once again, there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to enjoy great food, dancing, and probably some kalimotxo as well. If you are not familiar with the Basques, these events are the perfect setting to get a taste of our culture, our language, and our way of being in general. And if you happen to be an immigrant like me, Basque Festivals come pretty darn close to feeling at home.
I’m not sure which ones I’ll hit this summer, but I’ll be in Boise for sure during San Inazio in July. If you can make it too, I’d love to see you!
I realize we are still a couple weeks out from celebrating Mother’s Day here in the States, but it’s already coming up on Sunday in Spain. Around the world, sons and daughters will get flowers, cards, gift certificates and hugs for their moms. No matter what it is, we will cherish it because it came from you.
However, sometimes sons and daughters will get creative and surprise their moms with a different kind of gift. This is the case of Athletic the Bilbao players, who were granted permission by Spain’s Professional Soccer League to play with their mothers’ names on their jerseys against Celta de Vigo tonight.
Therefore, Athletic with probably play with Moreno (Iraizoz) as goalkeeper, Sagarna (Iraola), Dominguez (San José), Imaz (Ekiza) and Borde (Aurtenetxe) in defense; Laskurain (Susaeta), Nausia (Gurpegui), Derteano (Iturraspe), Arana (De Marcos), Goñi (Muniain) as midfielders, and with Zubeldia (Aduriz) in offense.
2012-2013 might not have been Athletic’s best season, but this is the type of gesture that makes them champions in my book.
Help Small Village Foundation make dolls for kids in South Africa
Small Village Foundation is getting ready to depart on May 31 to South Africa with 10 Boise area students and 4 adult chaperons. For 2 weeks they will be working on various projects, which include lots of painting, installing a garden and a playground, and numerous activities and interactions with rural South African children. They need some help with various task, like filling in the 28 army bags they will take on their journey. They are collecting soccer balls and black baby dolls to take to the children because they very literally have nothing.
If you would like to help making the dolls (stuffing and simple sewing), this is your chance. Gloria Totoricaguena, member of the Cenarrusa Foundation Board of Advisors, has organized a get together at the Basque Center on Wednesday May 15 at 6:00 pm to help her friends Lisa and Teri with their trip to South Africa.
The Small Village Foundation is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of rural Africans and to providing opportunities for Americans to use their talents to help others.
Based in Boise, Idaho, the Small Village Foundation accomplishes these goals by funding a variety of clean water, education, and health projects in rural African villages and by providing opportunities for American high school students and adults to travel to rural African villages to engage in hands-on humanitarian projects.
The Small Village Foundation is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of rural Africans and to providing opportunities for Americans to use their talents to help others. Based in Boise, Idaho, the Small Village Foundation accomplishes these goals by funding a variety of clean water, education, and health projects in rural African villages and by providing opportunities for American high school students and adults to travel to rural African villages to engage in hands-on humanitarian projects.
If you have any questions, please call Lisa Derig at 867-8803.
Movie night at the Basque Center: “Tasio”
Euzkaldunak is proud to once again present “Movie Night” at the Basque Center. Please join us on Thursday, May 23 upstairs in the card room. No host cocktails begin at 6:30 pm and the movie “TASIO” will start at 7:00 pm. This is legendary Basque director, Montxo Armendariz’ classic film of a charcoal-maker in Navarre. This is a traditional film in which Tasio grows up from a boy to a teen to a man, giving the viewer a sympathetic and clear picture of Basque culture.
Boise 150 Celebration at the Basque Museum
Join the Basque Museum as it celebrates Boise 150 and Idaho 150 with activities for children and adults on Saturday, June 1.
We’ll begin at 10:00 AM with fun activities for children ages 4-12 years. There will be a basic introduction to archaeology and the Cyrus Jacobs/Uberuaga House followed by activities including: crafts, musical instruments, washboards, the Bolatoki (outdoor bowling), and artifact recovery. Special tours of the historic house and the recent discovery of the well will be given to all children participating. (NOTE:Preregistration is suggested for the children’s portion of the day’s activities).
At noon, Professor Stacey Camp, UI Archaeology, accompanied by two UI Archaeology students who participated on the dig of the Jacobs Family well in August 2012 will present some of their findings of the pioneer Jacobs Family and the oldest surviving brick residence in Boise.
NOTE: Children’s activities will continue outside while the adult presentation takes place inside so that families can participate in the activity. Both the children’s activities and adult lecture are free and open to the public.
30th Annual Basque Foundation Golf Tournament
The 30th Annual Euzkaldunak Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Saturday the 27 of July at Falcon Crest Golf Course. For information and team registration, please contact:
There will be a pala instructor from the Basque Country in Boise on July 18-29 to hold camps and classes for children. There will also be opportunities for adults to work with the instructor. Please mark your calendar. There will be more information as it becomes available.
8 Probintziak, the radio station on Basque diaspora, will celebrate its 8th year on the air on Sunday, May 5, with a special program featuring many guests and a few surprises.
Benoit Etcheverry Macazaga, a Basque native from Iparralde, started the program in 2004 and ran it until 2007, when he took on some other projects – always related to the Basque diaspora. Benoit had hoped for the radio show to continue airing, but nobody picked it up. This is why, five years later, he decided to bring the program back. 8 Herrialdeak Zuzenean airs from 8:00 to 9:30 pm (Basque Country time).
April’s program focused on Basque economy with guests such as Jean Michel Larrasquet, from Mondragon Group, Xabi Camino, who talked about the Eusko (new currency for the Basque Country), Pierre Mendiboure or Jérôme Lesparre.
Not so long ago I wrote about why I love Boise’s Basque Center, our cultural center featuring a public bar and rental venue for the Basque community as well as the general public. In my opinion, it is the one place above all others within our Basque community that keeps us united, regardless of age, gender, and town of origin.
Now, the Euzkaldunak Basque Center is seeking an artist to create a new logo for the heart of our Boise area Basque community.
A little history
The Euzkaldunak Basque Center is a 3-story building that resides in Downtown Boise, Idaho on the historic Basque block. The Basque Center was built in 1949 and is a gathering place for Basque people in the area. We help maintain our heritage by supporting Basque dancing, events and gatherings.
The Center acts as the primary home for our two dancing groups, Boiseko Gazteak, and the Oinkari Basque Dancers. The Center is also home for a Basque music group, Txantxangorriak, which plays traditional music at many of the Basque festivals. Annually we hold tournaments for two traditional Basque card games.
The Basque Center hosts several events throughout the year such as San Inazio in July, a typical Basque street festival. In December we hold a Sheepherder’s Ball Dinner and Dance to help raise money for our Basque Charities account, which allows us to help individuals and families in need throughout the year.
Gatherings also include membership monthly dinners that run from August through May.
How to submit
If you are feeling up to the challenge and would like to go down in history as the cool person who designed Boise’s Basque Center logo, here are the steps to get you there:
To submit your artwork, please email files to maite@ahizpak.com and include the following information:
First Name, Last Name
Address City/State/Zip
Phone/Email
Optional: Artist Bio (one paragraph limit) & website if applicable
Submission Guidelines:
Logo should embody the Euzkaldunak’s proud past, bright future and to cultivate Basque culture.
Logo will be used on websites, various printed materials, signage, and other publications. The logo should be effective in both grayscale and color. Overall design should be limited to a maximum of four colors with a workable grayscale adaptation.
Submit up to 3 concepts in PDF format.
The winning logo needs to be provided in PDS and EPS format with associated font files included. Pantone matched colors appreciated.
By submitting the winning design, you recognize that the Euzkaldunak Basque Center will own the design and all associated rights.
Use of any copyrighted logos, fonts or slogans that require a license to reproduce will disqualify your submission.
Deadline
May 8, 2013: submission deadline of 1-3 concepts in PDF or EPS format. Euzkaldunak (Basque Center) board will select the 3 most effective designs and vote on their favorite.
The winning artist will be notified by email and highlighted on our Facebook page and the monthly newsletter. The new logo will appear on the website as soon as it is completed. The winning artist will be credited for the new design and the Euzkaldunak Basque Center board will introduce the new logo.
The winning artist will receive:
Fame and glory
Recognition for your donation through a media blast
Spring has come and Gatibu is here looking for action! We want to celebrate with all of you the arrival of this wonderfully mad season. This is why we want to make our new music video with all those of you who follow us throughout Euskal Herria and the whole world. This one is for you!
We would like to see you dance to Gatibu; jumping, kissing whoever is next to you, going crazy, getting naked, singing, laughing, falling in love, breathing, living and celebrating. We need a whole bunch of images to represent the emotions of the song “Gabak zerueri begire”.
What you need to know to participate:
You can send your images through Wetransfer to the account we provide you for this purpose: gernika.wetransfer.com
When you send your video, add your name, surname and home address in a message on Wetransfer.
The total length of the images that you send, as an individual or as a group, cannot be longer than 2 minutes.
The images have to be in HD quality and you can record them with a camcorder, a camera, a cellphone or any device at hand and in any digital format (avi, mov, mpeg, flv…).
The videos must be sent before may 12th.
The images must be original, recorded by you and your friends.
You are granting Gatibu permission to use and adapt those images for their music video “Gabak zerueri begire”.
Not everything will be used for the music video. Gatibu will not publish offensive images. Moreover, even when the quality of the images is good, Gatibu will make sure their style fits the entirety of the song.
For further questions, you can reach us through this address: gabakzerueribegire@gmail.com.
The song:
Gabak zerueri begire (Nights looking at the sky)
They’re back necklines / the time of sin / the nights looking at the sky / and your striped miniskirt. / / It’s over / living sad and dark / I don’t love the xirimiri / I will open the doors to the sun / And give cuckoos. / / Eo eo! To move the body / Eo eo! To clean the blood / Eo eo! Falling in love with you. / / I have begun the long days, / the smell of reefer in the parks. / What the fuck is this fucking south wind? / What the fuck this fucking pollen? / / I want to jump, off my clothes / dance naked, give hundred somersaults. / I love you in the moonlight, love the clouds / and I love my airhead. / / Eo eo! To move the body / Eo eo! To clean the blood / Eo eo! Falling in love with you. / / They’re back necklines / the sweet sea breeze / the nights looking at the sky / and your striped miniskirt.
Send your videos for the new music video of Gatibu.
Spring has come and Gatibu is here looking for action! They want to celebrate with all of you the arrival of this wonderfully mad season. This is why they want to make their new music video with all those of you who follow them throughout Euskal Herria and the whole world. This one is for you!
They would like to see you dance to Gatibu; jumping, kissing whoever is next to you, going crazy, getting naked, singing, laughing, falling in love, breathing, living and celebrating. They need a whole bunch of videos to represent the emotions of the song “Gabak zerueri begire”.
What you need to know to participate:
You can send your videos through Wetransfer to the account we provide you for this purpose: gernika.wetransfer.com
When you send your video, add your name, last name and home address in a message on Wetransfer.
The total length of the videos that you send, as an individual or as a group, cannot be longer than 2 minutes.
The videos have to be in HD quality and you can record them with a camcorder, a camera, a cellphone or any device at hand and in any digital format (avi, mov, mpeg, flv…).
The videos must be sent before May 12.
The videos must be original, recorded by you and your friends.
You are granting Gatibu permission to use and adapt those videos for their music video “Gabak zerueri begire”.
Not everything will be used for the music video. Gatibu will not publish offensive videos. Moreover, even when the quality of the video is good, Gatibu will make sure their style fits the entirety of the song.
To read the instructions in other languages, please visit Gatibu’s website here.
The song
Gabak zerueri begire (Nights looking at the sky)
They’re back necklines / the time of sin / the nights looking at the sky / and your striped miniskirt. / / It’s over / living sad and dark / I don’t love the xirimiri / I will open the doors to the sun / And give cuckoos. / / Eo eo! To move the body / Eo eo! To clean the blood / Eo eo! Falling in love with you. / / I have begun the long days, / the smell of reefer in the parks. / What the fuck is this fucking south wind? / What the fuck this fucking pollen? / / I want to jump, off my clothes / dance naked, give hundred somersaults. / I love you in the moonlight, love the clouds / and I love my airhead. / / Eo eo! To move the body / Eo eo! To clean the blood / Eo eo! Falling in love with you. / / They’re back necklines / the sweet sea breeze / the nights looking at the sky / and your striped miniskirt.
There are plenty of ways to learn Basque if you really, really want to. However, if you were hiding behind the excuse of always being on the go, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. By forking out the measly amount of $4.99 to purchase the Photon Flash Player app (flash video and games plus private web browser), you can now use BOGA too on your iPad, iPhone or Android device. All you have to do is open the app, type in www.ikasten.ikasbil.net, and voila!
BOGA is a paid online course to learn Basque developed by HABE and designed with English and Spanish speakers in mind. It is used in Euskaltegis in the Basque Country as well as in Basque clubs in the Diaspora, for whom the system is free. It is available in Spanish and English.
I’ve included here a video review for the Photon application. (If nothing else, sit, relax, and enjoy the awesome accent of the reviewer. I know I did).
I'm a girl from Bilbao who calls Boise her home and enjoys sharing her experiences with the world. Sometimes they are fun, sometimes they are cheesy, sometimes I just copy and paste. It depends.
8 visitors online now 7 guests, 1 members Max visitors today: 15 at 08:33 am MDT This month: 17 at 05-11-2013 08:46 am MDT This year: 23 at 02-24-2013 02:23 pm MST All time: 24 at 01-20-2012 04:26 pm MST
Roberto Guerenabarrena, president of the Rhode Island Basque Club, explains how on that Sunday, friends in the Basque Country would go to the mountains and enjoy all the products from a fresh pig. Even though Lent Season is long past, Riki Lasa -president of the Pelotari’s Union- has been organizing this event in May for many years now at his home in Connecticut.
Your comments