Basque Country (Euskadi) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with strong cultural traditions, a celebrated cuisine and a distinct language that pre-dates the Roman languages. The vibrant riverside city of Bilbao is a hub of architecture and design. The capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz. The population is over 2 million people.
Sports in Basque
Jai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held device. Jai-Alai originated in the Basque Country of Northern Spain almost four centuries ago. Jai Alai is a distinctive sport which requires its own special equipment. The cesta, a Spanish word for Basket, is a long curved basket a player uses to catch and throw the pelota. The pelota is the hardest ball of any sport, it is roughly the size of a baseball and harder then a rock.
Foods In Basque
Rib-Eye Steak
Lamb Stew
Tapas Architecture
The Guggenheim Museum is a truly unique work of modern architecture that has put Bilbao firmly on the tourist map but it is not the only architectural gem to be found in Bilbao or the rest of Basque Country. Cities such as Vitoria and San Sebastian, can boast many fine buildings from different eras as can many of the towns and villages throughout the Basque region where an abundance of historic monasteries, churches and popular buildings are still well preserved. architectural wealth of Bilbao by bike from June 20 until next July 25. Nothing better than walking the streets of the city on two wheels and enjoy the numerous buildings that you will observe. You can choose between a tour visiting the classic architecture in which you will know some historical facts of this city or a walk to discover the architectural details of the most cosmopolitan buildings such as Iberdrola Tower or the new San Mames Soccer Stadium.
Religion in Basque
The Basque people are marked by a rich history of pagan gods and folklore, and claim the founder of the Jesuit religion as one of their ethnicity. Most Basques consider themselves Roman Catholics taking First Communion,baptizing their children and following the word of the Holy Bible. Basque Catholicism is also strongly aligned with the Virgin Mary as it is in much of northern Spain. Saint Giles is a Catholic saint particularly revered by Basques. Basque tradition by autumnal festivals in celebration of the Basque shepherds bringing their flocks down from the Pyrenees mountains to worship St. Giles.
Saint Giles
Language
The Basque language, also known as Euskera, is Europe's oldest living language. It is unrelated to Spanish, French, or any other Roman language and belongs to no other known language family. It was the universal language of rural Basques until the end of the nineteenth century. At that time it had no written literary tradition. During Franco's regime in the mid-twentieth century, all Spanish regionalism (devotion to the uniqueness of one's own region) was suppressed. This caused the number of Basque speakers in Spain to decline sharply (as opposed to France, where the figures are higher). In recent years, Basques in both Spain and France have promoted—with some success—the use of their traditional language. Every province and town in Spain's Basque country has two official names—a Spanish one and a Basque one. Both appear on all road signs.
Major Holidays As elsewhere in Spain, most Basque holidays are those found in the Christian calendar. Special religious observances include St. Joseph the Workman's Day in May, and St. John of Compostela Day in August. In addition, villages celebrate their own festivals with performances by folk musicians, dancers, and bertsolariak,traditional singer/storytellers who can improvise and sing rhymes on any topic.
The famous running of the bulls in celebration of San Fermín takes place every year in the Basque town of Pamplona. Every day for a week, six bulls are let loose in the streets to run to the bullfighting stadium. Crowds of white-clad young men dare fate by running ahead of the bulls and swatting them with rolled-up newspapers.
Living Conditions People in the rural regions of Basque country live in large, stone farm houses called baserriak They are often as high as three stories. Animals are kept on the ground floor, the family lives on the second floor, and hay and other crops are stored on the third. Baserriak may either be built at a distance from one another or located in clusters of about ten or twelve. In cities and towns, the Basques, like other Spanish urban dwellers, generally live in apartment buildings.
Basque Spain
Bienvenido al país vasco
Basque Country (Euskadi) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with strong cultural traditions, a celebrated cuisine and a distinct language that pre-dates the Roman languages. The vibrant riverside city of Bilbao is a hub of architecture and design. The capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz. The population is over 2 million people.
Sports in Basque
Jai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held device. Jai-Alai originated in the Basque Country of Northern Spain almost four centuries ago. Jai Alai is a distinctive sport which requires its own special equipment. The cesta, a Spanish word for Basket, is a long curved basket a player uses to catch and throw the pelota. The pelota is the hardest ball of any sport, it is roughly the size of a baseball and harder then a rock.
Foods In Basque
Lamb Stew
TapasArchitecture
The Guggenheim Museum is a truly unique work of modern architecture that has put Bilbao firmly on the tourist map but it is not the only architectural gem to be found in Bilbao or the rest of Basque Country.Cities such as Vitoria and San Sebastian, can boast many fine buildings from different eras as can many of the towns and villages throughout the Basque region where an abundance of historic monasteries, churches and popular buildings are still well preserved.
architectural wealth of Bilbao by bike from June 20 until next July 25. Nothing better than walking the streets of the city on two wheels and enjoy the numerous buildings that you will observe.
You can choose between a tour visiting the classic architecture in which you will know some historical facts of this city or a walk to discover the architectural details of the most cosmopolitan buildings such as Iberdrola Tower or the new San Mames Soccer Stadium.
Religion in Basque
The Basque people are marked by a rich history of pagan gods and folklore, and claim the founder of the Jesuit religion as one of their ethnicity. Most Basques consider themselves Roman Catholics taking First Communion,baptizing their children and following the word of the Holy Bible. Basque Catholicism is also strongly aligned with the Virgin Mary as it is in much of northern Spain. Saint Giles is a Catholic saint particularly revered by Basques. Basque tradition by autumnal festivals in celebration of the Basque shepherds bringing their flocks down from the Pyrenees mountains to worship St. Giles.
Saint Giles
Language
The Basque language, also known as Euskera, is Europe's oldest living language. It is unrelated to Spanish, French, or any other Roman language and belongs to no other known language family. It was the universal language of rural Basques until the end of the nineteenth century. At that time it had no written literary tradition. During Franco's regime in the mid-twentieth century, all Spanish regionalism (devotion to the uniqueness of one's own region) was suppressed. This caused the number of Basque speakers in Spain to decline sharply (as opposed to France, where the figures are higher). In recent years, Basques in both Spain and France have promoted—with some success—the use of their traditional language. Every province and town in Spain's Basque country has two official names—a Spanish one and a Basque one. Both appear on all road signs.
Major Holidays
As elsewhere in Spain, most Basque holidays are those found in the Christian calendar. Special religious observances include St. Joseph the Workman's Day in May, and St. John of Compostela Day in August. In addition, villages celebrate their own festivals with performances by folk musicians, dancers, and bertsolariak,traditional singer/storytellers who can improvise and sing rhymes on any topic.
The famous running of the bulls in celebration of San Fermín takes place every year in the Basque town of Pamplona. Every day for a week, six bulls are let loose in the streets to run to the bullfighting stadium. Crowds of white-clad young men dare fate by running ahead of the bulls and swatting them with rolled-up newspapers.
Living Conditions
People in the rural regions of Basque country live in large, stone farm houses called baserriak They are often as high as three stories. Animals are kept on the ground floor, the family lives on the second floor, and hay and other crops are stored on the third. Baserriak may either be built at a distance from one another or located in clusters of about ten or twelve. In cities and towns, the Basques, like other Spanish urban dwellers, generally live in apartment buildings.