So far, 59 towns in Gipuzkoa, and twelve in Bizkaia and so many in Navarre have registered. A complete list of villages is available on the Euskaraldia website. People of two types will participate in the initiative. On the one hand, in several localities the hika is used daily by the neighbors, but they mainly use it, that is, the form that is made of men. Noka, the way it is done to women, is used significantly less and has almost been lost. Therefore, noka will be promoted especially in these villages. On the other hand, the towns where the Hitano has almost no place have also been registered. In them noka and toka, both will be pushed to the same extent.

What is the exercise?

As in previous editions, those who will participate in the Basque Language will choose the role of palate or ear to mouth. In addition, if you are interested in participating in the Hika initiative, a sticker with the letter H will be applied to the mouth or ear plate. Carrying the adhesive H means: “You can do it with me if you want.” It is not necessary to know how to speak hika, it indicates an attitude of listening.

Why the Hika initiative?

The organizer, ZirHika, points out that the Basque language also needs informal registries “to strengthen its use in the street without resorting to borders”. They believe that the Hitano can perform this function because the language is informal, colloquial, close and fresh.

The promoter of the initiative is the ZirHika group, together with the organizer of the Euskaraldia, Taupa. ZirHika was created in April 2024 to revitalize the Hitano, and especially to promote the noka. In recent years, more than 50 villages in the Basque Country have organized initiatives to promote the Hitano (and especially the Noka), among them the I... The hikadrome and the... The Hika Encounters. In the latter, 80 hours of agents were collected.