Basque Country Live

The city’s and villages are decorated with lights, stars, pine trees and fake snow. It is (almost) Christmas. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ generally it is celebrated on the 25^th of December. But now a days it’s also very normal to eat large meals with family or have gifts.

America and Britain

The most famous way to celebrate Christmas is the English or American way. In their homes they have a big Christmas three that is decorated and sometimes people hang lights on their homes. The Americans and Britain celebrate Christmas with the family and some people go to church on Christmas Eve. They often celebrate Christmas Eve also with a special Christmas dinner “turkey and Christmas pudding”, a Christmas pudding is a pudding in large part from raisins is further plays Santa a big role.

Santa

Someone who plays a big role in celebrating Christmas in English and American country’s is Santa Claus. He bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours on December 24: Christmas Eve. Santa was founded from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, which may have part of its personality in tales about the historical figure of gift giver Saint Nicholas.

Dutch Sinterklaas

In Holland Christmas isn’t celebrated that big. On the 5^th of December the Dutch people celebrate Sinterklaas, the figure who is the founder of Santa. On the night of December people are together with family, drink hot chocolate milk and sing special Sinterklaas songs. Then with a lot of pounding on the door Sinterklaas and het Zwarte Pieten (Black Pete’s) are coming. Sometimes they just leave presents in a big bag in front of the door or in the house, but they can come and visit you. The ask you if you are nice and they will check it in the big book of Sinterklaas.

Christmas in Holland is eating with the family or going to church. But a lot of family’s have a Christmas three in their homes and it becomes more usual to also have gifts. The Dutch celebrate two days of Christmas, witch are also free days for the hole country, on the 24^th and 25^th of December.

Basque Olentzero

In the Basque Country they don’t have Santa but Olentzero. According to Basque traditions Olentzero comes to town late at night on the 24th of December to drop off presents for children.

One story’s about Olentzero is being one of the jentillak, a mythological race of Basque giants living in the Pyrenees. Legend has it that they observed a glowing cloud in the sky one day. None of them could look at this bright cloud except for a very old, nearly blind man. When asked to examine it, he confirmed their fears and told them that it was a sign that Jesus will be born soon. According to some stories, the old man asked the giants to throw him off a cliff to avoid having to live through Christianisation. Having obliged him, the giants tripped on the way down and died themselves except Olentzero.

Olentzero doesn’t look like Sinterklaas or Santa Clause (who both have red clothes, a white beard, red hat and helpers). Olentzero weirs a txapela ( a typical Basque hat), has a scarf, a black shirt and blue pants and he doesn’t have helpers.

But there is one thing that Sinterklaas, Santa Claus and Olentzero all have in common: they are old men with white beards who give good children presents.

Funny facts

• The colors red and green are used a lot at Christmas but have a relation with Jesus Christ. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life, and in particular the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter.

• Jews don’t celebrate Christmas but have Hanukkah. It is also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

• In Mexico, Christmas begins on December 16^th. Until December 24 there are the “posadas”. These are processions of children and adults, with statues of Mary and Joseph are carried. It is acted out how Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay. On the last day carried the baby Jesus, at the end of the evening is laid in a manger.

• In Italy, the Christmas witch “La Befana” presents around on Epiphany. She is looking for Jesus Christ and brings good children candy, naughty children get coal or dark candy.

Share on Facebook

During my trip my friends had called about arriving safely in the airport and being ready for take off. Relaxing a bit I was listening to some music while I suddenly noticed that my phone was ringing. 
Five lost calls from friends and two messages to call them back.

I looked at the time; 19.05 and their plane should have took off at 19.00..

It turned out that they were in the wrong airport and there was no more chance for them to get to the right one in time. They had missed their flight and there was no way for them to book another.

Maybe I should look for smarter friends when I return to the Netherlands (just kidding), but for now I realized how happy I am with the people that I already had in my life and with the people that got in it during my time here in the Basque Country.  I needed to be with them and have their support when my Dutch friends didn´t make it because I felt so sad and a bit lonely.

I always thought that managing without real friends and just some lose contacts would be fine but now I’ve learned how much I actually do need to have them wherever I am.
Luckely for me that the Basque Country is a good place for making friends as well

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

Saskia and Chiara

When I decided to go to the Basque Country last year I told all of my friends and family in the Netherlands that they would be more then welcome to visit me. And they still are but at the same time, and I feel bad while I am typing this, they aren’t..

When somebody is visiting me then of course I will do my best to show them the most interesting sides of the Country and life in it.

Patty and Saskia

I want them to enjoy their little vacation here and in my opinion being a good host is important then. Because it is all new to my Dutch compatriots I’m afraid that they might miss out on very nice things here when I will just drag them into my daily routine. Also I can’t try to improve my Spanish or Basque on the streets because it is impolite to them to speak in a language that they don’t understand. So I automatically adjusted my own days and manners here to theirs while they are visiting and that slows me down a bit in exploring everything during my little four month adventure here.

The winter is coming over the Country now, that is really noticeable outside. For sure people will change their daily routines because they can’t be living on the streets all the time like they did the last sunny months.

Because I just arrived last September I only know the way of living here while the sun is making it nice and warm outside so being on the streets everyday is a pleasure. Now that it is winter I would love to get to know the way of living during the cold season as well. I can imagine people still meeting on the streets but now for going inside where it is warm and cozy. But I don’t want to just imagine it I want to be a part of it. So I hope that the few personal weeks that I have left here will be enough for that.

Next to that I’m far from done with meeting new people here, getting to know what keeps them busy and meeting their families and friends or going to there houses.

Tieme and me visiting Gorka and his family

Share on Facebook