Euskararen Eguna 2023
Celebrating Basque Language Day Around the World
Euskararen Eguna is the celebration of the Basque Language, known as Euskara or Euskera. On this day, many Basques around the world share stories, photos, and other memories of the language and culture that make this such a unique and interesting group.
I wrote an article three years ago on this same topic — for background, see Basque Language Day 2020: Celebrating Euskararen Eguna — K
One of the interesting developments in recent years is the increase in people who speak Euskara — both in the native Euskal Herria and around the world in the Basque Diaspora. Estimates place the number of speakers today around one million — up about 250,000 within the last several years.
Modern Basque Today
Basque is taught as a native first language within families and used in schools within Euskal Herria proper, and is offered in classes around the world in places such as Boise, Idaho and Tokyo, Japan. In Boise alone there is a Basque preschool and classes offered at Boise State University and the Basque Museum, in addition to many locals with whom to practice.
I’ve taken classes from the Basque Museum since my last article on this topic and it greatly improved my skills with the language. For more information about this excellent resource, see the Basque Museum Language Programs page.
Newcomers to the language are called Euskaldun berriak, or “New Basques”, and in addition to the seven major local dialects within Euskal Herria, there exists a standard form used in education and business called Euskara Batua (lit “Basque Unified”), which is often what is most commonly taught within ikastola (schools) and used when communicating across regions or internationally. Some researchers choose to study one of the specific dialects (I’m interested in the Xiberoa and Gipuzkoa regions for example, where I have some ancestry).
In recent years, an interesting artifact called the Hand of Irulegi (Irulegiko Eskua) was found, which contains written Basque from about two thousand years ago, giving international credibility to what all Basques know by virtue of education and observation — that this language is truly ancient and speakers of it have likely always been intelligent and inventive (a claim backed by deep roots in shipbuilding, navigation, and other sciences).
Additionally, the government of Spain has granted official parliamentary status to Basque as well as other minority languages Catalan and Galician.
Zorionak!
Basque culture runs deep within communities around the world who are united by a common underlying spirit. Anyone interested in this beautiful culture is encouraged to look into it further and attend events in your area if you happen to live near a Basque community, even a small one. There are quite a few Euskal Etxeak (Basque Houses) around the world, both in well-known Basque travelled areas such as Newfoundland and other parts of the Americas, and also in locations across Europe, Asia, and around the world.
I hope you enjoyed reading and discovering more about the celebration of this ancient language and what it means to speakers today. Ongi ibili!
