In 1545, Bernard Etxepare wrote a book called Linguae Vasconum Primitiae, the first book in Basque, with the aim to promote our language.  The Etxepare Basque Institute is making that wish come true, and is committed to promoting the Basque language and culture all over the world.  These are portions from one of their recent brochures.

Related link:  Etxepare Basque Institute
 

 

 

BASQUE LANGUAGE.  It may be the oldest language in Europe, as its origin is still a mystery.  Its roots may have nothing to do with the other languages that surround it, as it is a pre-indoeuropean isolated language.  It could be the first language that circled the globe in the mouth of Juan Sebastian Elcano...  The only thing undoubtedly certain ist hat one million people speak, write and tweet in Euskera, they fall in love, the argue, they watch TV or write PhD theses...  either in its unified version created since 1968, or in one of its five dialects.

 

 

BASQUE SOCIETY.  The Basque society has its origins in stone farmhouses in green valleys, small fishing villages and busy coastal shipyards, the iron mines and mills of the Margen Izquierda in Bilbao, industry and tourism.  All of these are at once present in a territory that although small in size, is large in its ambitions.  Tradition and modernity are at the heart of what moves the ever innovative Basque society, and if in the Merry Wives of Windsor (1602) Shakespeare sings praise to the gleaming Basque iron from which the finest swords were forged, then today it is the bright titanium of the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao which reflects the Basques equally bright future.

 

 

Basques know that it's far better to get just a little bit often rather than a lot occasionally; we do love sumptuous tables, but what would become of us without our tavern rounds, drinks and "pintxos"?  The most delicious delicacies for the palate simply joined together with a toothpick; hence the name "pintxo"!

 

 

The French philosopher Voltaire wrote about the Basques that they were those people who danced and jumped at the foot of the Pyrenees.  Today we still dance with the melody of the "txistu", basing our traditional dances in classical dance and fusing it with the contemporary.



 

BASQUE A to Z

ARESTI.  Writer. Promoter of Basque modern literature

BERTSOLARI.  Sung verse improvization.  Bertsolaritza is the art of singing extemporary composed songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns.

COD.  (Pil Pil cod, Biscay cod)

DURANGOKO LIBURU AZOKA.  Durango Book Fair.

EUSKARA.  Basque language

FESTA.  Festival

GERNIKA.  Emblematic Basque town, whose bombing in 1937 inspired Picasso's masterpiece.

HAZEEN ORRAZIA.  The wind comb, Eduardo Chillida's sculpture.

IKURRINA.  Basque flag.

JAI ALAI.  Court ball game. Basque pelota or Jai-alai expanded across borders.

KOOPERATIBAK.  Cooperativist enterprise movement located in Gipuzkoa.

LABOA, MIKEL.  Basque singer-songwriter

MARI.  Mythological character from Mount Anboto

NI.  Me

OBABAKOAK.  Bernardo Atxaga's book translated into 26 languages.

PIRINIOAK.  The Pyrenees Mountains

QUOSQUE TANDEM.  Jorge Oteiza's book that proposes an esthetic interpretation of the Basque soul.

ARRAUNA.  Rowing.

SAGARDOA.  Hard apple cider.

TXALAPARTA.  Percussion music device of wood or stone.

UZTARRIA.  Traditional yoke of wood with cowbells.

VASCO, BASQUE.  Term used by Strabo to refer to the Basques, Euskalduna.

WWW.EUSKARAMUNDIALA.NET

XIRIMIRI.  Drizzle.

ZINEMALDIA.  San Sebastian film festival.