- On October 9, the Association of Trikitixa de Euskal Herria organized its conferences or tertulias. Although they were delayed by their state of health, they were finally set up in the Tolosa culture house. This year’s theme was “Pilgrimage”. I think it's a broader issue and it goes beyond sound and dance. Pilgrimage is the word used in Hego Euskal Herria. It is a festival that is held in a basic sense, in a certain place, especially in the campgrounds around a chapel or chapel, characterized by a small sound and a dance.
The word itself has a religious origin: pilgrim or beilari, who goes to Rome in veil. I heard my father say that when Xalbador died, bertsolari Lopategi said that from there he would go to Urepel every year as a pilgrim. In a broader sense, the dancers of the plazas, and above all the sound and dance performance, open to anyone they want. These days the topic was first worked on.
The members of the Aiko group in Bilbao, who in recent years are developing this kind of popular dance. In the afternoon, meet at a roundtable
Joseba Altube, head of the dance group of Barrakaldo, the historian, dancer and musician Zarauztarra Xabier Etxabe and myself from Ipar Euskal Herria, all under the active direction of the dancer and researcher from Malaga Aritz Ibañez. It cannot be said that this program has moved the masses, but we did have a very interesting and entertaining conversation with those you are there. I got two things.
On the one hand, how mere entertainment reveals the fundamental changes of a society. How to explain those dance attractions taking place in the city of Bilbao to Baiona? A first step towards entering Basque culture, perhaps a more indecent language? How has the appearance of the musicians accompanying these square games been transformed into the exile of the dancers and dancers? What is the religious basis of local baits becoming, in small towns, a secularized society? Anyway, as usual, dance is more lucky than itself.
I noticed something else. Once our prevedic period was over, we went to the plaza, where some women, according to the appearance, were emigrants with their children, dressed in fabrics of a thousand colors. I realized then that in our discussions we had not mentioned that aspect.
That the festival should play a role of integration, growing with the plurality that constitutes the Basque Country of today. And also the humblest who have come from outside
It's going into the round of our dance jumps. And we learned their ahidus, co?ek or any other. They were all little or a lot of pilgrims in the forest.