This article was translated by John R. Bopp
2018 is coming to a close, and we didn’t want these days to go by without sending greetings to our friends and readers. After all, this is a wonderful time to stop for a moment, reflect on our plans for the next 365 days, and wish that next year is even better than this one has been.
It’s also time to wish the best to you all. We hope 2019 is full of good news, when everyone lives better and is a bit happier.
We know next year won’t be all good. It can’t be. But we hope that the next time we’re ending a year, we can say that we enjoyed more Peace, Justice, and Freedom, as people and as a Nation.
To accompany these wishes, we’d once again like (love) to present some very traditionally Basque topics in some interesting ways.
Basque Christmas Carols from Great Britain
First we have The King’s College Choir in Cambridge singing traditional Basque carols. If you’d like to know why two traditional Basque carols are part of British musical tradition, we recommend you have a look at our entry from January of 2014.
The Infant King (Sing Lullaby) : Choir of Kings College, Cambridge
Gabriel’s Message : Choir of Kings College, Cambridge
They’re so popular in Great Britain that in 2014, The Telegraph listed ‘Gabriel’s Message’ at the top of their list of favorite carols.
An interpretation of Olentzero from 1952
In Tolosa in 1952, a version of Olentzero was sung in the morning of January 1st. It was recorded by one of the Basques we owe so much to: Alan Lomax. He recorded it as part of his compilation of sounds of the Basque People (find out more here).
Horra, horra gure Olentzaro (Tolosa, 1952)
Eguzkilore
And as is becoming a tradition, the image we’ve chosen is quite symbolic. It’s an eguzkilore on all our doors, as in “on the doors of our country”, to protect us from evil spirits and to help us have the Light we need to find the right path, to make 2019 a great year.
Eguzkilorea. Senpere, Lapurdi. Euskal Herria. Stemless carline thistle or Silver thistle. Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, Labourd. Basque Country. ( Garuna bor-bor)
Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!!!
Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country
