Diving into Heritage

I had a little time on my hands today, so I was searching into more about my Basque heritage. I'm pretty excited to be part of such a small and exclusive community. The Basque language itself is it's own entity, not some derivative of Spanish. I am looking forward to trying out some Basque recipes for dessert and some main dishes. I will post those at the conclusion of my attempts. In the meantime, I found a few good sites that you might like to check out as well.

Probably my favorite for beginners (like me!) so far, a site from Boise, Idaho, arguably the Basque capital of the United States. A lot of good information, especially with pronunciations, which will certainly help me at least recognize some things, such as what drink or food I have in my hands. The festival they

mention is discussed here. The schedule looks like a lot of fun!

Jaialdi 2010 Schedule of Events

The official schedule of events for Jaialdi is:

• 5-11 p.m. July 27 and July 28: “Welcome t

o Jaialdi” events on the Basque Block. Featuring food, drink and strolling musicians. No admission fee.

• 7-9 p.m. July 28. Basque Culture Conference. Egyptian Theatre. Free. “Eusk

al Herria Mugaz Gaindi” will be attended by prominent world experts in Basque immigration. Hosted by the Basque Studies Center at Boise State Univers

ity.

• 7 p.m. July 29: Sports Night, Qwest Arena.

$12. Tickets through qwestarenaidaho.com. Three weight lifters from Euskal Herria will be lifting cylinders weighi

ng 250-400 pounds and balls weighing

250 pounds. Three wood choppers from the region will compete against each other, and 20 farm sports

competitors will participate in feats of strength such as throwing bales of hay, lifting wagons and carrying milk cans.

• Noon-6 p.m. July 30: “Basqueing on the Block,” Basque Block. Featuring food, drink, strolling musicians and a cha

nce to visit with old friends and new acquaintances. No admission fee.

• 7 p.m. July 30: “Festa’ra,”

Morrison Center on the Boise State University campus. Tickets through idahotickets.com. This performance will feature two dance groups from the Basque Count

ry, the Oinkari Basque Dancers, bertzolariak and an interpretive performance by the Trey McIntyre project.

• 10 a.m.-6 p.m. July 31: “Basqueing at the Fairgrounds,” Expo Idaho. Tickets at the door. Saturday’s events will feature more than 36 dance groups from six

Western states on two indoor stages. Vendors with unique novelties, souvenirs and clothing will set up shop in the air-conditioned portion of the Expo building. Food and

drink will be available, along with sports events near the outdoor fountain. Sheep wagons will be on display.

• 7 p.m. July 31: Mass, St. John’s Cathedral. No admission charge. A traditional San Inazio Mas

s will be celebrated in Basque and will feature the Oñati Dancers,

who will perform on the St. John’s altar with the Oinkari Dancers.

• 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m. July 31: Street Dance, Expo Idaho Fairgrounds. Tickets at the door. Featuring

music by Amuma Says No and other groups from both the Basque Country and Boise.

• 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 1:

“Basqueing at the Fairgrounds,” Expo Idaho. Tickets at the door. Featuring more dancing, weight lifting, vendors and food booths

This little blurb has some interesting recipes, specifically mentioning Txakoli wine (first time I've seen that...would love to try it!) and Basque cake.

A wealth of current events information is at the freebasque.com website, as well as free downloads of Basque fonts!

And finally, arguably the best overall informative Basque site. Lists of restaurants, recipes, folklore...amazing! I plan to search a lot of that site and I'll get back to you. The recipes will be the most interesting challenge.