Basque Flag

Kaixo!

My name is Eneko and I was born in 1987. I’m descendant of Basques from Araba (Álava) and Galicians. However, I and all my family live in the Basque Country; me and my father’s family in Araba, and my mother’s family in Gipuzkoa (Guipúzcoa). So I am not a Basque living abroad but I am glad to tell you a little bit of my story.

Exactly, I live with my parents in a city called Vitoria-Gasteiz (the capital of the province of Alava and The Basque Autonomous Community (Euskadi), although the capital of The Basque Country (Euskal Herria) would be Iruña/Pamplona). In the 20th Century the Basque language in Araba was only spoken in the very northern part and in a small area, so I’m sure that my father’s nearest ancestors didn’t know it, but as I’ve got Basque surnames, maybe my ancestors knew it.

As a consequence of Franco’s dictatorship the Basque language was banned in Spain, so none of my family members knew it because it was not spoken and was not taught at school. After the dictatorship, the Basque language was allowed, so I have been educated in Basque at ikastola (Basque language school) as the same time that my father studied it, so I want to let you know that I speak it (if you need help you can ask me). Nowadays, my parents and almost all of my aunts and uncles know it. Furthermore my cousins are being educated in Basque at “ikastola” and one of them has Basque as his mother language. Therefore my generation in my family is Basque speaker.

Some Spanish, when I am asked where I am from and I tell them, sometimes their reaction is to ask me if I am nationalist or independentist, you know. That’s a question that angers me a lot because I feel as if I were being judged for my ideology or opinion. I think that this happens because of the lack of information.

Photo Montage of Basque Country

The Man at Night, circa 2002

WHAT IS BURNING MAN?

(Excerpt from website; http://burningman.com )

Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind. In this section you will find the peripheral definitions of what the event is as a whole, but to truly understand this event, one must participate. This site serves to try to paint a picture of the Burning Man experience to those who are new to the project, as well as to give those participants looking to keep the fire burning in their daily lives an environment in which to connect to their fellow community members. For a brief yet eloquent overview of the entire event from the time of arrival to the time of exodus, please read “What is Burning Man?”, an essay written by participant and one-time web team member, Molly Steenson. Please see archived sections for each year to read more about the art themes, art installations and theme camps for each year.

Here you will find links that will take you on a trip through the past – through the history of Burning Man – from its early days on a small beach in San Francisco through its evolution into the bustling city of some 48,000+ people that the Burning Man event has become today. These people make the journey to the Black Rock Desert for one week out of the year to be part of an experimental community, which challenges its members to express themselves and rely on themselves to a degree that is not normally encountered in one’s day-to-day life. The result of this experiment is Black Rock City, home to the Burning Man event.

There are no rules about how one must behave or express oneself at this event (save the rules that serve to protect the health, safety, and experience of the community at large); rather, it is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute and what they will give to this community. The event takes place on an ancient lakebed, known as the playa. By the time the event is completed and the volunteers leave, sometimes nearly a month after the event has ended, there will be no trace of the city that was, for a short time, the most populous town in the entire county. Art is an unavoidable part of this experience, and in fact, is such a part of the experience that Larry Harvey, founder of the Burning Man project, gives a theme to each year, to encourage a common bond to help tie each individual’s contribution together in a meaningful way. Participants are encouraged to find a way to help make the theme come alive, whether it is through a large-scale art installation, a theme camp, gifts brought to be given to other individuals, costumes, or any other medium that one comes up with.

The Burning Man project has grown from a small group of people gathering spontaneously to a community of over 48,000 people. It is impossible to truly understand the event as it is now without understanding how it has evolved. See the first years page and Burning Man 1986 – 1996 for the legendary story of Burning Man’s beginnings and to understand how the event has come to become what it is today. The timeline gives a short overview of what each year looked like. Please also check out the detailed archives for years 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Within each of these years are descriptions each year’s art theme, theme camps, large art installations, as well as maps, journals of our city being built, the newsletters to the community for each year, issues of the Black Rock Gazette (a daily news publication produced and printed on the playa), and clean up reports for each year, including a list of those sites that failed to “leave no trace”. These pages help understand the larger scope of the entire experience, from the planning that happens year-round to make each event possible, to the clean-up efforts which take place for sometimes months after the city has disappeared.

The impact of the Burning Man experience has been so profound that a culture has formed around it. This culture pushes the limits of Burning Man and has led to people banding together nation-wide, and putting on their own events, in attempt to rekindle that magic feeling that only being part of this community can provide. The Black Rock Arts Foundation promotes interactive art by supporting public art that exists outside the event, and has a special interest in supporting art at regional events. Additionally, Burning Man has over two thousand volunteers who work before, during and after the event (many who work year-round) to make the event a reality.

Photos Courtesy of Maitea Archuleta:

For more information on Burning Man, the annual event, please go the the following links: there is a wealth of information, photographs, videos, testimonials of attendees, etc. This is by no means a comprehensive list of websites.

“Official” and unofficial Sites:
http://burningman.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man
http://bm.tribe.net
http://www.sfgate.com/burningman/

I am partly Basque. My ancestor’s name was Archuleta. My father was adopted and given the name Webb. I’ve been told there are Archuleta’s in Bilbao. It was never talked about in my family that we had Basque background. Since finding out, I have tried to find other Basque people through MySpace, and Facebook groups, and I found a wonderful man named Pablo who is teaching me to speak and is teaching me about the Basque people. We decided to collaborate and write a book together because we feel there are so many misconceptions about the Basque, and they are a fascinating subject!

I grew up in Hong Kong, and moved back to the States for University. I graduated from University of Southern California, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations. I had always been fascinated by history and anthropology, and once I found out about my true heritage, I dove right into learning everything I can about the culture, the food, the sports, the language, etc. I finally found something that I could put my talents as a writer to, a project that is deeply meaningful to me, almost a spiritual journey of my own.

Condensed History of San Sebastion:
Before you get confused, it is a good idea to explain that Donostia is Basque for San Sebastian. Euskara (Basque) is a language whose origins are unknown. It is spoken by 35% of donostiarras (San Sebastian’s residents), and is one of the two official languages of Euskadi (the Basque Country). The other is castellano (Castilian Spanish). For this reason, nearly all posted and road signs in the Basque Country are in both languages.

Although the Basque language is ancient, Donostia is less so. Sancho el Mayor (called Sancho el Fuerte—Sancho the Strong) founded the city of San Sebastian around 1180 in what is today the Parte Vieja (historical quarter). The city’s unique geographical situation, an isthmus joining the city center with Monte Urgull, the bahía de la Concha and the outlet of the Río Urumea (Urumea River), made it ideal as a military stronghold with a port. The city is surrounded by a wall for this very reason. The city has seen several wars, and experienced many sieges during the 15th and 16th centuries. One of the most notable wars took place in the 18th century between the English and the French. From 1719 to 1721, San Sebastian was occupied by the French, who finally withdrew after the signing of the Paz de la Haya (The Hague peace treaty).

From that time until 1808, Donostia enjoyed relative peace until the occupation by Napoleonic troops. August 31st, 1813, was a key date. With the French occupying the walled city, Anglo-Portuguese troops with their intense barrage against the city caused a huge explosion and a great fire to sweep through it, reducing it to ashes. The citizens took refuge in Zubieta and made the decision to rebuild the city, complete with its walls. The population at this time was around 2,500.

In the 19th century the city was again the scene of war, this time the Carlist wars. Even as these bellicose activities were occurring, the city prospered. In 1863 Donostia was named permanent capital of the province of Gipuzkoa. This brought about a change in the city’s role, and was the cause of the walls eventually being demolished. Controversy, ever present in this area, centered around the questions of whether to demolish the walls, or construct a broad main road linking the historical quarter and the new city center. New development began with the Ensanche Cortázar, demolishing the walls and extending the city towards the centre and Gros district.

Towards the end of the 19th century, with the royal court of Madrid taking up summer residence in Donostia at the Palacio de Miramar (Miramar Palace), the city became a popular tourist destination and spa resort. A casino was built in 1887 in what is now the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), attracting Europes upper classes. The city reached its peak during the First World War, known as the Belle Époque. While the rest of Europe was at war, Donostia became the most cosmopolitan city in Europe. Examples of the splendor of the era are the Ayuntamiento (City Hall) and the Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra.

The Belle Époque came to an end with the arrival of the dictatorship of the Spanish general Primero de Rivera who outlawed gambling. The Spanish Civil War, intense in the Basque Country, nevertheless did not cause great damage to Donostia. In an attempt to stress the Spanishness of the city, General Franco spent every summer in Donostia in the Palacio de Aiete (Aiete Palace) until his death. During this time, nationalist feelings grew in Basque society.

The arrival of democracy in Spain radically changed society. The transition from dictatorship to democracy, and the first years of democracy, were intensely felt in Donostia. Even today you feel the impact of political conflict on everyday life. Nevertheless, Donostia is generally a peaceful city.

The physical nature of the city has changed from the days when it was a walled military stronghold. The Ensanche extended the city towards the center, and reclaimed land from the sea (districts of Gros and El Antiguo) and the river (Amara). In recent years, the city has further expanded in the Antiguo, Intxaurrondo and Aiete districts. There are no exceedingly old buildings because of sacking and fires that the city has suffered through the ages. Nowadays the population is around 180,000.

The Palace of Euskalduna

Roman Bridge of Balmaseda

Thinking to myself, is this news-worthy? Well, I don’t care, sometimes things are simply for pure entertainment and some of the girls aren’t bad looking, which helps!

Purification by Ice in Russia

To celebrate the Orthodox holiday of the Epiphany, on January 19, Russians plunge into ice-cold water to purify their bodies.

In a ritual imitating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, wholes are cut into the ice covering rivers and ponds across Russia and priests bless their waters. People actually stand in line, late into the night, wearing only their swim-suits or underwear, to jump into the ice-cold water.

The cold water is said to have a cleansing effect on those brave enough to jump into it, but some of the brave swimmers just do it for fun and thrills. Not recommended for the faint-hearted, the ritual of the Epiphany helps harden the body and make it more resilient to illness.

Surely some good Russian vodka helps the swimmers get through the ritual a lot easier.

Posted by Damn Cool Pics