WINTER FESTIVAL

In this newsletter we've included a large variety of winter festivals celebrated in our
country.(From the 21st of December until Carnival)

SANTO TOMAS DAY!

This day is celebrated on the 21st of December
and we should mention that it is unique of the
Basque Country.
When celebrating it, we memorise those
farmers who used to come to the cities to sell
the goods they had produced during the year.
Nowadays we eat “chistorra” and drink
“sagardo” to keep our traditions afloat. We usually dress up as farmers
did back then, in that way we get a rural festival atmosphere. One of the
main characteristics that children most enjoy is the awesome pig which
used to be drawn, but that nowadays has been banned.
The next day they say the numbers that have won the lottery.

CHRISTMAS EVE:

It is celebrated in the 24th of December. This day it is very

special for everyone and it is usually celebrated with the
family, and in the Basque Country we have'nt Santa Claus, our
“Santa” is Olentzero. Olentzero is a coal dealer who usually
carries presents to the good boys and girls, but he sends coal to
bad boys and girls. He has'nt got reindeer, instead he's got a
donkey In this day kids are going to sing christmas carols
house to house and people give them money for it. And boys
usually go dressed as olentzero and girls go as “Mari Domingi” (Olentzero's wife).

At night family is built and they have a special dinner because we are celebrating that
Olentzero is coming from the mountains and he carries presents with him for all the basque
country and mostly for kids.

CHRISTMAS DAY:

This day is after the christmas eve specifically in the

th
25 of December. This day in the morning, when you get up,
the first thing you do is go to the christmas tree. Usually
there are good presents but if that person have a bad
behavior Olentzero will bring him coal. When you have
opened all the presents, family meets again and they have a special meal.

NEW YEAR'S EVE:

In the Basque Country, we usually celebrate the New Year's eve having a big dinner in
family. The typical food for this day is, ham, seafood, salad, meat or fish, and an extremely
sweet dessert that is known as “Turrón”. After the dinner, at midnight, each person has to eat
twelve grapes at the last twelve seconds of the year. Finally, we wish a Happy New year to
each other. After the celebration in family, teenagers usually wear nice clothes and go out
with their friends to celebrate it until the next morning. Children who are not aloud to go out
yet, the often have a good time playing with the fireworks in family.

NEW YEAR'S DAY

This day we always have a special lunch with the family again and we also eat delicious
food.

This is what we typically eat at twelve o´clock.

Epiphany
Due to the Wise Men´s arrival in Bethlehem and their gifts for Jesus, children in Spain await
anxiously the morning of January 6th to find presentrs left by the Wisemen, usually left by
them the night before. As it happens in Western European traditions, the ones who have not
behaived well during the year would receive lumps of coal so as the child would make an
effort the next year to behave better and have more presents.

But Ephiphany is not celebrated with the same enthusiasm in all the Spanish areas. In San
Sebastian, for example a pareid goes along its most important streets, thich are full of young
people, waiting to take a sweet thrown by the Wise Men. The atmosphere is nice although it
is the last day of Christmas and the following day it´s time to go to school. We don´t mind
though. Children are always anxious to tel their friends what presents they have been given.
DANBORRADA

The 20th of January we celebrate the most important day of

our city, A lot of different groups of people, play the drum
dressed like old English and French soldiers. We celebrate
that English Soldiers won French ones and liberated San
Sebastian.

It lasts the whole the day and people go out at night.

The celebration Starts when we rise up the flat and it finish 24 hours later, when we slown
down it

KALDEREROAK
This day represents the coming of the “
caldereros”, who are some families and tribes
that traveled along Europe. They worked
repairing frying pans, knives, and all kind of
metallic objects.

This tradition started 120 years ago, singing

songs by the well-known compositor Raimundo
Sarriegi.

This day, the people go out trhough the steet

dressed like them, and making noise with frying
pans with small hammers.

There are some characters in this tradition, who are very beautiful:

-The Bear: One man goes dressed like a bear and goes dancing through the street
happily
-The bear´s minders: He goes behind the bear taking care of it.

CARNIVAL
In the Basque Country we celebrate two different types of carnivals.

Firstly we have the traditional one. It is part of our culture and is mostly celebrated in the
north east part of Basque Country. We have different characters, like “Mielotxin”,” Lantz”
and “Ziripot” and everybody dress like them.

The second and the most popular one, is the modern one. It is also the funniest and it is most
celebrated in Tolosa a small town of Basque Country. There people go to pubs, and
everybody is dressed with different funny costums. Then people goes to a small
bullfighting.

SANTA AGEDA
Santa Ageda's previous day is celebrated the 5th of February.
People wear traditional farmer's costums and go home by home singing traditional folk
songs. Each person has a wooden stick which they make sound with by banging the floor.
Some time ago, young people who had to go to the military service, used to go home by
home singing folk songs in exchange of some money or food.
Nowadays, schools or little choirs are the ones who organise the festival, going through the
streets singing, dancing and banging their sticks. It's a really enjoyable festival, which
transmits perfectly the Basque Country's spirit.
A group of men
singing in Santa Ageda's
Previous day.
Some time ago, young people who had to go to the military service, used to go home by
home singing folk songs in exchange of some money or food.
Nowadays, schools or little choirs are the ones who organise the festival, going through the
streets singing, dancing and banging their sticks. It's a really enjoyable festival, which
transmits perfectly the Basque Country's spirit.