We have celebrated the International Basque Day

As our next subject is the language as a cultural heritage and today we celebrate a special day for our language. Would you like to know a bit about our language ? 

The International Day of the Basque Language (one of the few surviving pre-Indo-European languages) is celebrated on December 3.
Basque Language Day was instituted in 1948 by the Society for Basque Studies. December 3 was chosen to honor Saint Francis Xavier, whose feast day is celebrated on this date. St. Francis Xavier was a Roman Catholic missionary from Navarre. According to legend, his last words before passing away were in Basque, as it was Xavier’s mother tongue.

This year a project called Euskaraldia has been promoted by several associations dedicated to the promotion of Euskara ( Basque Language) that for 11 days will invite participants to take the role of Ahobizi or Belarriprest. Ahobizi are those people who speak in Basque with everyone who understands the language and speak to strangers using, at least, the first word in Basque. On the other hand, Belarriprest are those people who at least understand Basque and who invite the rest to address them in this language.

Elexalde BHI takes part in the celebrations of both the International Day of the Basque Language and Euskaraldia.

We will soon teach you a few words in Basque, every week one on Instagram!!!