Zorionak eta Urte Berri On! With two marvelous versions of “Txoria Txori”

This is our thirteenth opportunity to wish all of our readers a very merry Christmas and a happy new year with an effusive “Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!”

It’s a good time to look back and see just how far we’ve come, and to set new goals for the new year.

We started wishing our readers well at Christmas in 2010, the year this project was set in motion.  No one then could have told us it would last 13 more years, or that we would have so much wonderful company along the way.  Nor could we imagine that we would have ten million (yes, 10,000,000) page views from all over the world, or that we would be approaching 50,000 followers on social media, again, from every corner of the planet.  That is a lot of people who are interested in what the world is saying about the Basques.

We were also unaware of how much time and effort, and financial resources, would be needed to publish these 6,000 entries.  This is thanks to a small group of people who have helped make keep this project alive.  And we’d like to thank them for their unconditional support and generosity when sharing their hard work and knowledge.

During this thirteen-year journey, we’ve decided a lot of hard work, many hours, and a great deal of effort, and we’ve had some upsets along the way.  But it’s been worth it.

Our goals for 2024 are simple: to keep this project running, and for it to be of interest to more and more people.  The latter seems to us like it’ll be easier.  As for the former, well, we’ll keep trying.  Given its volume and complexity, this project requires more and more dedication and resources in a world where everyone thinks that everything online should be free, and we’ve never been able to find financing formulas that assure our survival.  Even so, we are seriously considering getting rid of advertising on our website.  This might happen at some point in 2024.

But what matters is that we’re still here, at least for now, and we very much wish to continue for a great deal longer.

Every time we’ve sent our best wishes in this season, we’ve done so with something that seemed very special to us.  This year, as we’re not superstitious (but we are cautious (you know, just in case)), we would like to “give” you a “gift of protection.”  This Mikel Laboa song has become a hymn, a visiting card for our country and our culture, and indeed a song of freedom: “Txoria, Txori.”

But in this case, it’s with two very special versions that have been making the rounds on the internet in the last few months.  One was recorded at the Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago, and the other at a place we don’t know.  Nor do we do know who the singers are.  If any of our readers know, please let us know so we can credit them.

And with these two versions of a musical masterpiece, we wish you all the best for 2024.

Last Updated on Feb 12, 2024 by About Basque Country