ANCIENT CULTURE

Art   |  Traditions  |  Sports  |  History  |  Language

By nature the Basque are an expansive people, keen on amusements and the numerous festivals in which they can enjoy popular music and dance, two fundamental features of the Basque people that enjoy a rich and unique tradition and are an expression of the Basques' strong character and personality. Also at these festivals one can enjoy bertsolaris, authentic battles of ingenuity in which the competitors improvise forms of sung verse, as well as a variety of rural sports based on the traditional work activities of the Caserío or Basque farm: the oxen competition; segalaris (people that compete to see who can cut the most grass in a predetermined time); aizkolaris (people who stand on top of parallel logs and compete to see who can cut them fastest); txingas (sport in which competitors lift these txingas or weights and compete to see who can last the longest); etc.

Discover what the Basque Country can offer:

January
Tamborrada (drummers' procesión) in San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa
San Antontxu (Mungia)
Txakoli Day in Getaria (Gipuzkoa)
The Zuberoa “Maskaradas” (French Basque Country)

February
Carnival of Tolosa
Cider´s Season in the Basque Country
Santa Agueda

March
Medieval Market of Balmaseda
Javierada

April
Easter in the Basque Country

May
San Prudencio (Saint Prudence)
Ochomayos in Orduña

June
Alarde de San Marcial (Irún)
Fiestas of San Pedro in Laguardia (Álava)

July
San Fermín
Jazz season in the Basque Country
The day of the shirts (Vitoria-Gasteiz)

August
Semana Grande in Bilbao (Big Week)
The Procession of the Virgen de las Nieves (Lanestosa – Bizkaia)

September
Opera season in Bilbao
The regatas of La Concha (San sebastian)
Antzar Eguna (Lekeitio)
The Sangüesa Festival (Navarre)
The Show of Arms of the Virgin of Guadalupe (Hondarribia)

October
Last October Monday in Gernika
Wine harvest in Rioja Alavesa
The Putxeras world championship (Balmaseda)
Traditional “Palombe” or Wood Pigeon Hunting (French Basque Country)

November
Txarribodak
The Helette Agricultural Fair (French Basque Country)

December
Christmas in the Basque Country
Monumental Nativity Scene in the Florida Park (Vitoria-Gasteiz)
The Marijeses of Gernika (Biscay)
Santo Tomás
The day of the “Zorra” (or Fox) in Mendigorría (Navarre)