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USA's National Basque FestivalShowcases Traditions, Dancing, Food Transplanted from the Pyrenees
Though Basque festivals are held throughout the western U. S. each year, most national championships are decided at this colorful celebration in a rural Nevada town
As far as ethnic celebrations and family fun are concerned, the National Basque Festival-- held every July in Elko, Nevada – is a winner. Four Traditional Festival ElementsLike all Basque festivals, the Elko event incorporates four elements – games, dancing, religious ceremonies and food. All of the games are based on strength. Many of them incorporate working skills the people have relied upon through the ages, such as weight lifting, weight carrying and sheep-hooking. (Basque sheepherders use a six-foot pole with a hook on one end to catch the animals. In the Elko competition, the fastest combined time for catching and tying two sheep determines the winner. The Feat-of-Strength GamesSome of the games – brought over by the Basques when they emigrated to the New World – are also rich with tradition and serve the fete’s principal purpose of perpetuating Basque customs. In the wood chopping contest, the seven logs symbolize the seven Basque provinces, four of which are in Spain and three in France. The grueling competition, which requires each contestant to chop through his seven logs, illustrates two qualities, indarra (strength) and sendotasuna (strength of character) which have enabled ethnic survival despite invasions by Celts, Romans,Franks, Goths and Hitler’s Germans as well as attempts at assimilation by the French and Spanish governments. DancingDance troupes, not only from Nevada, but also from other states, such as the Oinkari Dancers from Boise Idaho perform throughout the festival. The Oinkari Dancers are considered to be one of the most outstanding in the United States and have performed at folk festivals around the nation. The intricate patterns of each dance have been handed down through the generations. One of the biggest crowd pleasers is Txankarakua, Dance of the Dead Chief. The dance ends when the high-kicking men, dressed in white shirts and pants, red berets, sashes and scarves, carry their fallen leader off the stage on a litter of sticks held high above their heads. The Ribbon Dance symbolizes the unity of the Basque provinces. Most Basque dances require that the upper body be held motionless with arms upraised while the feet fly in a series of complicated maneuvers. On both nights of the festival, there’s also a public dance with music provided by a Basque orchestra and/or accordionists. Ceremonies and FeastsOn festival Sunday, local priests and visiting ecclesiastical dignitaries celebrate Mass in Elko’s city park. Deeply religious, the Basques in both Europe and the United States are almost 100 percent Roman Catholic. Following the ceremonies, a picnic centers around traditional Basque dishes: barbecued lamb, grilled steak and Basque beans. Though the meals have become simpler as the crowds have grown, they’re veritable feasts and sometimes new experiences to non-Basques. Simple ingredients are combined in the various dishes so that their natural flavors are enhanced. The beans, for example, are flavored only with ham and chorizo, the peppery Basque sausage. As with any Basque dinner, there’s an abundance of wine, served in conventional glasses or flowing in expertly directed streams from goatskin bota bags. Elko is located on U. S. Highway 80 about 266 miles east of Reno, and served by bus, train and air. Accommodations, such as the Red Lion Inn & Casino, Shilo Inn and Holiday Inn & Suites, are excellent for a city with a population of less than 20,000. The city's Basque dinner houses are among the best in Nevada..
The copyright of the article USA's National Basque Festival in Nevada Travel is owned by Connie Emerson. Permission to republish USA's National Basque Festival in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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