Jaialdi! Eat, drink, dance and be Basque
You know you’re in for a great party when attendance and a good time is measured in beer kegs.
“Last time, we went through 192 kegs,” says Dave Eiguren, who helped found Jaialdi in 1987. “This year our goal is 292.”
Jaialdi, which happens every five years, is one of the largest Basque celebrations in the world. In fact, the word jaialdi (pronounced “hi-all-dee”) means “party,” and few communities know how to throw one better than Boise’s Basques.
“This is just about a good time,” Eiguren says. “We try to show the culture, educate a bit, throw a bit of religion in there, and call it good.”
Jaialdi happens during the annual Basque Festival, which marks the Feast of San Inacio (St. Ignatius of Loyola), the Basque patron saint of Boise.
Except Jaialdi happens only every five years because “it’s so much work to pull off,” Eiguren says. “We couldn’t do it every year.”
And it keeps getting bigger. For this Jaialdi, expect close 45,000 Basques to converge on Boise from Spain and France, Australia, California, Nevada, Washington, New York and elsewhere.
There are about 770 performers, from wood choppers to dancers, musicians to weight lifters, who will show their stuff at venues throughout Boise.
During the six-day festival, you’ll experience every aspect of Basque culture: food, sport, music, language, dance, community – and did we mention beer?
Dana Oland
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Sacred Holidays – Discover December Celebrations Today – Christmas and Non-christian Celebrations!
While Christmas is the most universally recognized holiday in the world. It has become a celebrated affair of magic, myth and religion. Most of the Christmas festivities that we know today actually sprang from pre-Christian festivals that had been celebrated for centuries. The birth of the sun celebrated on the 25th December was replaced with the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on this day. For Christians “Christ” was the new “Sun” the “Son of God” the new “light of the world”.
While there are approximately 2.1 billion Christians in a total world population of 6.6 billion, making it the largest religion worldwide, there are many other cultures and religions holding sacred celebrations during December today. Here are some of the most celebrated festivals:
· Jewish people commemorate Hanukkah (the Hebrew word for “dedication”). This feast is also referred to as “Feast of Dedication” or “Feast of Lights”. It is an eight day festival which commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews reclaimed and rededicated their temple in 165 B.C. after a victory which drove the Syrian army out of Jerusalem. A primary ritual during this time is to light a single light each night for eight nights and the number of lights lit is increased by one each night. The extra light lit each night is called a “shamash” meaning “guard” or “servant” and is given a distinct location, usually higher or lower than the others. Special blessings are recited over the lights each night. There are approximately 14 million Jews worldwide.
· Muslims are observing Ramadan when it falls during the Christmas season. It is noted that Ramadan moves all over in relation to our calendar. Considered the most venerated, blessed and spiritually beneficial month of the Islamic year. Believed to be the month in which the first verses of the Koran (the divine scripture) were revealed by Allah (God) to the prophet Muhammad. It is a month where fasting, inner reflection, devotion to God and self control is observed. In Saudi Arabia it is 100% Muslim and Islam is the only accepted religion and non-Muslim religious activities are banned in public thus no Christmas celebrations. Saudi Arabia, as the birthplace of Islam is responsible for protecting the faith’s holiest shrines at Mecca and Medina. There are approximately 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide.
· African Americans are celebrating Kwanzaa which means “first fruits” and is based on African festivals. It started in 1966 by Dr Maulana Karenga, an American academic. Celebrations over seven days from 26 December to January 1st that reflect on and reaffirm traditional African values, ancestors and culture. There are seven guiding principles reflected upon. One for each day of the festival: unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, collective economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Kwanzaa is observed by more than 18 million people. Kwanzaa is not celebrated in Africa, as it’s an African-American holiday.
· In Hong Kong the festival of a Ta Chiu is held (a Taoist festival of peace and renewal) held on 27 December each year. Participants summon all their gods and ghosts of their ancestors so that the collective power will renew their lives and fulfill wishes for the coming year. At the end of the festival, priests read aloud the names of every person living in their area. Then they attach the list of names to a paper horse and set it aflame, letting the smoke carry the names up into the heavens to reach the Gods so they will remember them.
· In Japan no official celebrations of Christmas as less than 1% of the population is Christian. The major religion in Japan is Buddhism and Shinto. December in Japan is a time for preparing for their most celebrated day of the year “New Year’s Day”. People prepare by thoroughly cleaning their houses on new year’s eve then adding special decorations. People dress in their finest clothes often being traditional Japanese kimonos. A tradition is for the father of the house to be followed by all the family as he marches throughout the house driving away evil spirits. Custom is for the father to throw dried beans into the corners of each room as he bids evil spirits to withdraw and good luck to enter. The family then attends the Shinto Shrine where they clap hands to get the attention of the “Gods” and request good fortune. People send new year’s day cards like people send Christmas cards in west. There are 376 million Buddhist world-wide and 4 million Shinto world-wide.
· The indigenous people of Australia, the Aborigines, being one the oldest cultures and people on earth, do not celebrate Christmas (even though Australia is largely a Christian country widely celebrating Christmas). The Aborigines have their own rich and honored culture in particular the “Dreamtime” storytelling which is an integral part of their life. It plays a vital role in educating children with stories of history, culture, the land and their people. Stories which have been handed down from one generation to the next over thousands of years. December celebrations include in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Yolngu Aboriginal people who observe the last season of their six-season cycle. Gudjewg, the wet season which begins in late December. There are less than 500,000 Aborigines in Australia today.
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The Importance Of Celebration
There are many important things in life. Learning, growing, loving, and exploring are all things that each person should take time for. Celebration is another thing that everyone should take time for. Celebration adds an excitement and a lot of fun to life.
Celebration can happen for a variety of formal or informal reasons. Probably most people have gone to a celebration in honor of someone’s birthday, wedding, or the birth of a new baby. There is something deep inside humanity that loves to celebrate the best things in life. We love a good Christmas or Fourth of July celebration or other celebrations that mark special holidays or family traditions.
Celebration doesn’t have to be reserved for the biggest events or holidays of the year though. Because the majority of our days are spent doing trivial tasks like working or cleaning our homes, we all need things to look forward to. Celebrations of all kinds give us the excitement to keep making it through days that seem purposeless. Have you ever felt like life was a little too routine? I’m confident that by the time the next holiday or birthday celebration rolled around you were grateful for the change of pace.
Celebration allows us to relax and unwind in the midst of busy and crazy lives. We use celebrations as an excuse to gather with the friends and family that mean that most to us. We also enjoy celebrations because they allow us to remember the things in life that truly matter. As we celebrate, we allow the stresses of life to fall behind and we spend our time doing things we love with the people we love. There is something about a great celebration that reminds us of the purpose of our life and of the power of our closest relationships.
Think of ways to incorporate celebrations of all kinds into your life. Make a big deal out of birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries. Throw huge celebrations for Thanksgiving, Christmas or other holidays that are important to your religious beliefs. One of the biggest keys to getting the most out of life is to have celebrations for no real reason at all. Just invite your friends over, cook great food and spend a few hours playing games that cause laughter and build friendship.
Perhaps the best thing about celebration of any kind is that it makes our lives richer and more full.
Kirstine Pallette loves to have celebrations with her friends and families for reasons big and small. She encourages everyone to make time for fun. Learn more about celebrating well at www.allcelebration.info
