12/24/2012

December 16 was a very special day for grandparents in various nursing homes in Boise who were visited by Boise’s Biotzetik Choir and Basque language students. As every year, the singers made the day for these folks singing Christmas carols in Basque and English. It was a very emotional experience, according to Izaskun Kortazar, Basque teacher, adding that the elderly really enjoyed themselves and some even cried out of happiness.
Read more...
12/21/2012

December 21 is a big day in several places in the Basque Country. In Bilbao and Donostia, for example, there will be special fairs and the streets will be filled with the smell of txistorra and people in traditional Basque dress. Of course, Basques in the Diaspora have also wanted to celebrate this special feast day different parts of the world. In New York’s Txikito restaurant txistorra and cider will be enjoyed and there will be a fair at the restaurant D.O. Denomination of Origin in Mexico City.
Read more...
12/21/2012

The Official Bulletin of the Basque Country was published today complete with the official call for Basque club 2013 grants, officially marking the application period. This year, the total allotted to these grants is 1,234,667 Euros, of which 934,667 Euros will be allocated to Chapter V or Activities and Operation, and 300,000 to Chapter VII, or Infrastructure. The deadline to apply is February 28.
Read more...
12/21/2012

The Zingirako Euskaldunak Basque club in Chascomus, Argentina has opened the application period for its fourth edition of Udaleku that will take place on January 4-8, 2013. The deadline to apply is December 21. Udaleku, or summer camp is destined in Argentina for youth between the ages of 11 and 15, and for another year classes and activities will be given by instructors from the Basque Country and Zingirako Euskaldunak.
Read more...
12/20/2012

Christmas is right around the corner, and even though the Olentzero traditionally arrives in the Basque Country on Christmas Eve, the mythic coal maker of Basque legend has pushed up his Schedule and has already visited several euskal etxeak in the Diaspora. In London, for example, he showed up at the Christmas party at the London Basque Society, accompanied by Mari Domingi. He also passed out gifts to children at Washington DC’s Basque club as well as other US clubs; in Montevideo, Uruguay; in Vancouver, Canada; in European Basque clubs and in Australia, or in Argentina in Chivilcoy, Mendoza or Buenos Aires, among many others.
Read more...
12/19/2012

After the swearing in of the new Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, last Saturday in Gernika, the new administration is gradually taking shape. The eight counselors (ministers) of the new cabinet have been named, and they will take over their positions on Monday. Yesterday, the first Governing Council, presided by Urkullu, took place at Ajuria-Enea. During the same, the first appointments were conducted in each department along with the cessation of charges of the previous administration, including those of the current Secretary General of Foreign Action, Guillermo Echenique, and the Director of Basque Communities, Julian Celaya, who published their farewell letters, to Basque Communities yesterday.
Read more...
12/19/2012

Murcia’s Basque club, in Spain, celebrated a Cultural Weekend last December 14-16 with activities like poesy and musical recitals, a Christmas dinner complete with a visit from the Olentzero and a tortilla championship. The events were very well received and were attended by people from the literary worlds and the University as well as younger generations, reflecting a moment of regeneration and revitalization in the club. The club’s ever growing presence on social networks is also another example of this.
Read more...
12/18/2012

The Olentzero has already visited a large number of Basque clubs, while others are getting ready for the Christmas holidays when the jolly coal maker will make an appearance. For those who don’t have a Basque club nearby, or for those who want to introduce their children to the Olentzero through games, the internet offers some sites that we will provide below. This year, we will also include a new app for smart phones that can be used to write and send letters instantly to Olentzero.
Read more...
12/17/2012

The full-length film Bertsolari, directed by Asier Altuna, has spent several months touring the world and allowing international audiences to get to know the intricacies of bertsolaritza. On November 28 the film was shown at Stanford University, in California, thanks to the Basque language and culture lectureship supported by the Etxepare Basque Institute. The screening gathered a group of students and professors who were very interested in learning more about the art of Basque oral improvisation.
Read more...
12/17/2012

Christmas is approaching and many of our readers want to send special greetings to their family and friends. A good way to do so, quickly and easily, is to go online and use virtual greeting cards found there. You can even send greetings in Basque that include Basque characters and motifs. Following, as in other years, EuskalKultura.com is publishing a list of virtual greeting cards in Basque that we found online.
Read more...