Baztandarren Biltzarra takes place in Elizondo but it’s a celebration of all the towns in the valley of Baztan. Since 1964, the 15 villages of the valley come together to put on an annual parade through the streets of Elizondo, full of traditional costumes, music, and dancing. The parade may look like a beautiful display of traditional Basque culture to outsiders like me, but it’s actually a competition between the villages.
Today’s video is all about Nevada! The 56th National Basque Festival took place in Elko, Nevada last weekend. I wasn’t able to make it because I was doing Basque walking tours in San Francisco, but my sister Stephanie made it out there for the party. She was gracious enough to take over the Hella Basque YouTube channel to document the event for us.
Last month I told you about how I was starting up a Basque walking tour of San Francisco to visit the old Basque hotels and restaurants of years past. So I thought you might like an update on how it all went.
There’s a special holiday coming up in the Basque Country this weekend: San Juan Eguna. Have you heard of it? I wanted to write about it because honestly I’d never heard about it before I started digging around Instagram for scenes from the Basque Country. I found wonderful photos and videos of Basques having bonfires on the beach for this special night, and I wanted to learn more about it. San Juan Eguna is the feast day of St. John the Baptist, and it coincides with the Basque summer solstice celebration.
Struggling to think of a good Father’s Day gift this year? Or maybe you’ve just left it entirely to the last minute? I’ve got your back. If you live near any restaurants serving Basque food, why don’t you take him out for a nice meal? See our list of Basque restaurants in the United States. Or if your dad would appreciate any Basque-related products, here are some of my picks from the Hella Basque Amazon Page.
