Kepa Junkera, probably the best internationally known Basque musician, is currently living in the United States
In a momentous occasion for the Basque community, the much-anticipated “Hidden in Plain Sight” exhibit was unveiled before a crowd of about 300 dignitaries and well-wishers Saturday Feb. 6
The waitress piled grilled lamb chops and roasted garlic chicken onto plates at the monthly barbecue at Le Chalet Basque, a tradition that has endured for nearly 50 years at the La Puente restaurant.
Michel Etcheverry, a popular singer from the Basque Country, is visiting California for performances in South San Francisco and Chino.
The French version of the Yellow Pages (les Pages Jaunes) has a wonderful feature in which you can find vintage postcards of many Basque towns in France.
Click below to view videos...
Posted on 05 March 2010
Pantxoa eta Peio, popular folk singers from the Basque Country, will be performing in a concert Friday March 26 at the Chino Basque Club.
For years, the duo’s songs have been a mainstay for Basque music lovers. With their soothing, melodic voices, the two singers have extolled the virtues of work, love and family. Their lyrics have also been political, urging people to stand up for what’s right and speak out when things go wrong.
Posted on 02 March 2010
Internationally acclaimed Basque author Bernardo Atxaga will be teaching two classes at Stanford University focusing on Basque language, politics and culture.
Bernardo Atxaga. Photo: Courtesy of Astero
Atxaga is considered a giant of Basque literature. His books, novels and poems have helped define the Basque experience. He is the first Basque writer awarded the prestigious Spanish National Prize in Narrative for his novel, “Obabakoak,” which has been translated into 25 languages.
At Stanford, Atxaga will be a visiting professor in the Department of Iberian and Latin American Cultures. His two classes start with the beginning of the spring quarter on March 29.
Posted on 28 February 2010
Above: Promotional video for the San Francisco Basque Club’s “Bertso Jaialdia”
on March 13. For more information, click here.
The Basque competitors gather at festivals or among friends to face off in improvised lyrical duels. Each is given a topic, which can be anything from life on the farm to friendship or family. One by one, the singers belt out their spontaneous poetry.
Maialen Lujanbio is the first woman to win the Basque Bertsolari txapela. Photo: Courtesy of San Francisco Basque Club.
The art of singing extemporaneous songs is known as Bertsolaritza in Euskera, the Basque language. These bertsos, as the compositions are known, are sung by a bertsolari. It’s a tradition dating back hundreds of years to the villages and hamlets of the Basque Country
Posted on 15 February 2010
View Jaialdi 2010 in a larger map
Above: Interactive festival map. Click on icons or blue Jaialdi 2010 link.
Hotels in the downtown Boise area say they are already booked or are filling up fast as people make reservations for the huge Jaialdi 2010 International Basque festival to be held in the city beginning in late July.
Not surprisingly, several hotels closest to the Basque Block — which will be an epicenter of party activity — are booked up and are putting people on waiting lists. The festival will be held from July 27 to Aug. 1
Hotels that report being filled include The Grove Hotel, the Hampton Inn and Suites and the Owyhee Plaza Hotel. If you still want a room at these places, you can ask to be put on a waiting list or continue to check the hotels’ web pages to see if a room opens up, according to hotel reservation workers contacted by Euskal Kazeta.
For links to Boise hotels, festival activities and sites to purchase event tickets, click here or click on the Jaialdi 2010 interactive map above.
Posted on 13 February 2010
Basque people take their food and cooking seriously.
Isidore Camou cooks garlic soup. Photo: Euskal Kazeta.
Anyone who has visited the Basque Country, eaten at a Basque restaurant or attended a Basque festival can attest to the importance that Basques place on fine-cooked cuisine.
With that in mind, Euskal Kazeta has organized a number of recipes that it has found on the web or has included in previous articles.
These recipes are just a sampling, but with your help, we would like to add more to our list.
Have a favorite recipe from your ama or amatxi? If so, let us know by posting it as a comment and we’ll include it with the rest of the recipes below: (New recipes will be marked by the date they were added. Recipes from our readers are in the comments box at the bottom.)
Posted on 05 February 2010
This is one in a series of Euskal Kazeta reports leading up to Jaialdi 2010.
Festival goers planning to attend the huge Jaialdi 2010 International Basque Festival that will be held in Boise in late July can now purchase tickets online for dance and cultural events.
Jaialdi lauburu. By Pierre Igoa, Euskal Kazeta Basque News.
The tickets can be bought at idahotickets.com. The events for which tickets are available include the Festa’ra, showcasing Basque music and dance. The event is scheduled for Friday July 30 at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus of Boise State University. (Put “Festara” in the search).
Tickets can also be purchased for three events at the sprawling Idaho Expo center — Basqueing at the Fairground, which will be held during the day on Saturday July 31; the Basque Street Dance Saturday night July 31; and Basqueing at the Fairground on Sunday Aug. 1. (Enter “Basque” in the search.)
[Updated 2-15-10] You can also purchase tickets for Sports Night, which held Wednesday, July 28, at the Qwest Arena. To buy tickets, click here.
Jaialdi organizers announced the ticket sales on their web page.
Posted on 02 February 2010
Basque Top Chef contestant Mattin Noblia will be taking part in a nationwide charity effort with other chefs from the popular reality TV cooking show to help Haiti earthquake victims.
Mattin Noblia. Photo: Euskal Kazeta.
Hearts for Haiti was the idea of Ron Duprat, a Florida-based chef and Top Chef contestant. On Valentines Day, all participating chefs and restaurants will donate 10% of their proceeds to Haitian relief efforts.
Noblia, owner of Iluna Basque restaurant in San Francisco, said he agreed to help victims in the Caribbean island nation after he was approached by his friend Duprat, who was born in Haiti. The January quake has prompted a number of relief efforts.
“Every little bit helps,” Noblia told Euskal Kazeta.
Posted on 02 February 2010
The opening of the Boise Basque Museum’s Ellis Island exhibit will be celebrated with a reception in New York City featuring speakers, dinner and live music on Saturday Feb. 6.
The New York Basque Club and a Delegation from the Basque Country in the U.S. will be hosting the event at the Puck Building in Manhattan.
The Boise-based band “Amuma Says No” will play during the reception. Those interested in tickets for the event are asked to contact the Basque Delegation in New York.
Posted on 31 January 2010
A Chronology by Steve Bass
This is one in a series of chronologies on historic contributions of Basques featured in Euskal Kazeta. The previous chronologies include Basques in the Americas 1592-1692, Basques in the Americas 1692-1792 and Basques in the Americas 1792-1893.
Sculpture of Basque navigator Juan Elcano, first to circumnavigate the globe. Photo: www.CellarTours.com
Christopher Columbus
Not much is known of Christopher Columbus’ early life except that he was probably born in Genoa. However, his parents’ heritage is unknown, which has given rise to an interesting question: Was Columbus Basque? Supporting this theory, Spanish historian Fernando del Valle Lersundi argues that Columbus was from Nafarroa and, at one time, fought as a Basque pirate for his uncle, Admiral Guillermo de Casenove.
Posted on 18 January 2010
The Basque Museum and Cultural Center has unveiled a new website promoting its upcoming exhibit at New York’s Ellis Island.
The Ellis Island exhibit will put Basque culture on an international pedestal. Photo: Basque Museum and Cultural Center.
The exhibit, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” will showcase Basque culture and history at one of the most popular tourist destinations in New York City. The website features an overview of Basque history in the United States and immigration from Europe. The site also has links for contributors to donate to the project.
Hidden in Plain Sight, which will run from February through April, will highlight the unique origins of the Basque people and their language, Euskera.
Posted on 14 January 2010
Renowned Chef Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez will be teaching Basque cooking classes in Seattle later this month and again in February.
On top of that, the Seattle Basque Club will be celebrating Basque cooking at its 3rd-annual Tamborrada Fiesta Wednesday Jan. 20. The event will be held at Txori restaurant from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and feature pintxos, or Basque tapas, along with a txoko, or communal dinner. The price is $45 per person.
Posted on 11 January 2010
If you’re a Basque dancer from California, the Hartza group wants you.
Dance director John Ysursa is forming the troupe to unite dancers from across the Golden State to perform at Basque festivals this summer, including the huge Jaialdi 2010 international bash in Boise.
Hartza means bear in Euskera, the Basque language. It’s a perfect name for the new group, Ysursa says.
Posted on 14 December 2009
Pete Cenarrusa, a trailblazer in the Basque American community and former Idaho secretary of state, will unveil and sign his memoir Wednesday Dec. 16 in Boise.
Pete Cenarrusa at Boise State University. Photo: Courtesy of BSU.
He will present his book, “Bizkaia to Boise: The Memoirs of Pete T. Cenarrusa,” from 5 to 7 p.m at the Basque Museum and Cultural Center.
Cenarrusa, who will be 92 this week, served in the Idaho Legislature for 17 years and was House speaker before being elected secretary of state. He served a total of 50 years in public office — a record for Idaho elected officials.
Posted on 12 December 2009
Basque handball supporters gathered Thursday Dec. 10 at a chic San Francisco restaurant for a fundraising event for the United States Federation of Pelota.
Basque pilotaris in Bakersfield. Photo: Euskal Kazeta
The gathering was held at Piperade restaurant, owned by renowned Basque chef and author Gerald Hirigoyen. Guests enjoyed sumptuous cuisine such as Serrano jam, stuffed peppers and assorted cheeses, as well as several fine wines.
Xabier Berrueta, president of the federation, talked about the group’s strategy for increasing the popularity of the sport.
Posted on 08 December 2009
Members of the Utah Basque Club gathered for a festive Christmas party on Saturday Dec. 5 in Salt Lake City.
About 75 people showed up for the annual party at St. Vincent de Paul’s Catholic Church, where everyone enjoyed a hearty pot-luck dinner and traditional Basque dancing. The club posted a fandango and another dance performance on its YouTube channel.
As usual, Santa Claus descended on the party to pass out gifts and tell yuletide stories to the children.
“Everybody seemed to have a good time,” said club member Cirbie Lee Sangroniz.
The club has existed for more than 30 years in the Salt Lake Valley.
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