Newsletter 2

WINTER FESTIVAL In this newsletter we've included a large variety of winter festivals celebrated in our country.(From the 21st of December until Carnival)

SANTO TOMAS DAY! This day is celebrated on the 21st of December and we should mention that it is unique of the Basque Country. When celebrating it, we memorise those farmers who used to come to the cities to sell the goods they had produced during the year. Nowadays we eat “chistorra” and drink “sagardo” to keep our traditions afloat. We usually dress up as farmers did back then, in that way we get a rural festival atmosphere. One of the main characteristics that children most enjoy is the awesome pig which used to be drawn, but that nowadays has been banned. The next day they say the numbers that have won the lottery.

CHRISTMAS EVE: It is celebrated in the 24th of December. This day it is very special for everyone and it is usually celebrated with the family, and in the Basque Country we have'nt Santa Claus, our “Santa” is Olentzero. Olentzero is a coal dealer who usually carries presents to the good boys and girls, but he sends coal to bad boys and girls. He has'nt got reindeer, instead he's got a donkey In this day kids are going to sing christmas carols house to house and people give them money for it. And boys usually go dressed as olentzero and girls go as “Mari Domingi” (Olentzero's wife). At night family is built and they have a special dinner because we are celebrating that Olentzero is coming from the mountains and he carries presents with him for all the basque country and mostly for kids.

CHRISTMAS DAY: This day is after the christmas eve specifically in the 25 of December. This day in the morning, when you get up, the first thing you do is go to the christmas tree. Usually there are good presents but if that person have a bad behavior Olentzero will bring him coal. When you have th

opened all the presents, family meets again and they have a special meal.

NEW YEAR'S EVE: In the Basque Country, we usually celebrate the New Year's eve having a big dinner in family. The typical food for this day is, ham, seafood, salad, meat or fish, and an extremely sweet dessert that is known as “Turrón”. After the dinner, at midnight, each person has to eat twelve grapes at the last twelve seconds of the year. Finally, we wish a Happy New year to each other. After the celebration in family, teenagers usually wear nice clothes and go out with their friends to celebrate it until the next morning. Children who are not aloud to go out yet, the often have a good time playing with the fireworks in family.

NEW YEAR'S DAY This day we always have a special lunch with the family again and we also eat delicious food.

This is what we typically eat at twelve o´clock.

Epiphany Due to the Wise Men´s arrival in Bethlehem and their gifts for Jesus, children in Spain await anxiously the morning of January 6th to find presentrs left by the Wisemen, usually left by them the night before. As it happens in Western European traditions, the ones who have not behaived well during the year would receive lumps of coal so as the child would make an effort the next year to behave better and have more presents. But Ephiphany is not celebrated with the same enthusiasm in all the Spanish areas. In San Sebastian, for example a pareid goes along its most important streets, thich are full of young people, waiting to take a sweet thrown by the Wise Men. The atmosphere is nice although it is the last day of Christmas and the following day it´s time to go to school. We don´t mind though. Children are always anxious to tel their friends what presents they have been given.

DANBORRADA The 20th of January we celebrate the most important day of our city, A lot of different groups of people, play the drum dressed like old English and French soldiers. We celebrate that English Soldiers won French ones and liberated San Sebastian. It lasts the whole the day and people go out at night. The celebration Starts when we rise up the flat and it finish 24 hours later, when we slown down it

KALDEREROAK This day represents the coming of the “ caldereros”, who are some families and tribes that traveled along Europe. They worked repairing frying pans, knives, and all kind of metallic objects. This tradition started 120 years ago, singing songs by the well-known compositor Raimundo Sarriegi. This day, the people go out trhough the steet dressed like them, and making noise with frying pans with small hammers. There are some characters in this tradition, who are very beautiful: -The Bear: One man goes dressed like a bear and goes dancing through the street happily -The bear´s minders: He goes behind the bear taking care of it.

CARNIVAL In the Basque Country we celebrate two different types of carnivals. Firstly we have the traditional one. It is part of our culture and is mostly celebrated in the north east part of Basque Country. We have different characters, like “Mielotxin”,” Lantz” and “Ziripot” and everybody dress like them. The second and the most popular one, is the modern one. It is also the funniest and it is most celebrated in Tolosa a small town of Basque Country. There people go to pubs, and everybody is dressed with different funny costums. Then people goes to a small

bullfighting.

SANTA AGEDA Santa Ageda's previous day is celebrated the 5th of February. People wear traditional farmer's costums and go home by home singing traditional folk songs. Each person has a wooden stick which they make sound with by banging the floor. Some time ago, young people who had to go to the military service, used to go home by home singing folk songs in exchange of some money or food. Nowadays, schools or little choirs are the ones who organise the festival, going through the streets singing, dancing and banging their sticks. It's a really enjoyable festival, which transmits perfectly the Basque Country's spirit. A group of men singing in Santa Ageda's Previous day. Some time ago, young people who had to go to the military service, used to go home by home singing folk songs in exchange of some money or food. Nowadays, schools or little choirs are the ones who organise the festival, going through the streets singing, dancing and banging their sticks. It's a really enjoyable festival, which transmits perfectly the Basque Country's spirit.