Christmas in the Basque Country facts for kids
Christmas in the Basque Country is a special time of year! It all begins on December 21st with the Feast of Santo Tomas. This is a big celebration where many people go out into the streets. They dance, have fun, and eat tasty traditional foods.
One popular food is called talo. It's like a flatbread, often eaten with txistorra. Txistorra is a type of Basque sausage, similar to chorizo. People often wear traditional clothes called the casera dress for this celebration.
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Traditional Clothes: The Casera Dress
The casera dress is a special outfit worn by people in the Basque Country, especially during holidays like Santo Tomas. It looks like what people from the mountains used to wear a long time ago.
What Girls Wear
For girls, the casera dress includes a long skirt and a long-sleeved, old-fashioned shirt. They also wear headscarves and aprons.
What Boys Wear
Boys wear a long black shirt and trousers. They also wear a txapela, which is a traditional black beret.
Colors and History
While casera outfits are often dark blue, you can find them in many different colors. This traditional clothing celebrates the farmers and peasants who used to come to town on Santo Tomas. They would sell their goods and pay rent to the city landlords on this day.
Olentzero: The Basque Santa
In the Basque Country, the person who brings presents at Christmas is not Santa. Instead, it's a special character called Olentzero. Olentzero is a mythical Basque figure who lives in the mountains. He is often seen as a messenger who announces that Christmas has arrived throughout the Basque Country.
Who is Olentzero?
In some stories, Olentzero is a farmer or a shepherd. No matter the version, all the tales agree that Olentzero brings good news to people. He is also known as the "coal man." He comes down from the mountains on his pottok, which is a wild Basque horse. He brings presents for children! People in the villages often give him chestnuts and wine.
Olentzero's Journey
By tradition, on December 24th, Basque television and radio stations announce that Olentzero has started his journey. He travels from the mountains to children's homes, ready to deliver gifts.
A Tradition Restored
For a time, between 1939 and 1975, Olentzero was not allowed to be celebrated. This was during a period in Francoist Spain when regional traditions were sometimes banned. However, after Spain became a democracy again, the tradition of Olentzero was brought back to the Basque Country.
Christmas Day and Beyond
On Christmas Day, children in the Basque Country go to sleep early. Before bed, they leave their shoes in a room, usually not the bathroom or their bedroom. Olentzero then leaves all the presents right next to their shoes!
New Year's Day Traditions
On New Year's Day, some people put on their casera dresses again. They go to retirement homes to sing for the elderly residents. The day after New Year's, no matter the weather, some people have a unique tradition. If their town or city is by the sea, they go for a swim in the ocean!
The Day of the Three Kings
Another important day for Basques is January 6th. This is the Day of the Three Kings. On this night, something similar happens to Christmas Eve. Children leave their shoes out. During the night, the Three Kings visit and leave presents. However, they usually leave fewer gifts than Olentzero does.
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