Keeping up the pass in Zarautz

The very Basque town of Zarautz is known all over the world for its surfing championships. That's why in early September, tourists could accidently find themselves in the middle of a very Basque celebration. We were there with locals who wanted to show us what this meant here. The traditional feast is just called Euskal Jaiak(Basque party), and is an ultimate expression of Basqueness.

Even though people were dressed up for a party, you just knew that they had a strong feeling attached to it. In Holland we only dress up for queens day, but the ridiculosity has the upper hand in this celebration. We put on our most Dressed up kids in Zarautz
lunatic orange outfit, cause in a way we feel
uncomfortable expressing pride of our country.

This fear of expression however, was nowhere to be found in Zarautz. There was traditional Basque dance on different stages, there were plenty of parades and gatherings to express political feelings. But the thing that impressed me most was the fact that the youth participated in a traditional way too. They wore the traditional clothes, knew the old songs and they were very able to dance to them, as their ancestors have done for centuries.

My friend preforming a Basque dance

Since there are supposed to be over 400 dances I wouldn’t know which one my friends were performing, but it looked pretty easy. Hands up, wave a bit, some footwork, a turn here and there and that’s it! Okay, maybe not.. These guys and girls have been doing these dances since they were kids, so they managed quite well, and fast!
I had a go, but lost track soon, which the Basques found hilarious.. Well, what was I thinking anyway, I’m even unable to do the Dutch clog dance.