He forgives the oak trees, oak trees, oaks, herons, strawberries, dressings, chestnuts, birch, gorostidias, chamomiles, pine trees and all the societies of the trees, but today the hayedo has a date on the occasion of the celebrations of the winter border.

It is easier for me to unite the celebrations of the winter border with a hayedo, which is why I have chosen the hayedo. I truly appreciate the oak, one of the most noble, elegant and hard clubs in our forests to build houses, boats, furniture, etc. ; I appreciate the ash, especially to make light and light furniture, and in addition, the pastors know what sheep like the dried ash leaf. “Lizarrusti,” if we knew the place, I would say it comes from the exploitation of the ash.

Today: hayedo. Who doesn't know a hayedo? Anyone who has gone to the mountain knows what a hayedo is. In spring you will discover the surroundings with the brightest and most beautiful green leaf, and in fall, the palette with all the pastry colors, the most colorful land of the mountain. Our beech trees are beautiful.

It must also be said that our beech trees are rich. Who hasn't collected that blue liver, mushroom and mushroom in the beech trees in the fall? And the baserritars know what it's like to pick up the litter. By the end of fall, the fallen leaves on the ground, the leaves of littering, were picked up in the barn to make the edges to the cattle. In the area of Bizkaia there are some old coplas that say: “They get married on Monday and/or on Tuesday to the forest/ on Wednesday picking up the leaves/ on Thursday home.”

In the old herds that we know today we will find preferably there is or there is, although among them there are some of the youngest beech trees. These old beech mushrooms are baked strawberries a couple of meters away when they were young. But what's that like? You might ask. The answer is: coal. Yes, coal was mostly used for the beech. Oak and art were also used, but wood was more appreciated as material. This does not mean that the beech was not used to make furniture or similar wood work. The juices, for example, were made with beech wood.

The forest, the hayedo, the wooden house and the coal are elements related to the winter solstice. Perhaps today we are not missing them – just put a pincho in the corner of the living room and a lot of small LED light bulbs, with a click and a click that are making us blink – the wood piles and the coal needed to heat the house. But know that most of the gas oil, gas or electricity you use to heat your home or cook are fossils of forests and forests buried for millions of years that have been transformed into liquid or gas. We all consume of the motherland. Less bad than the winter solstice comes with good news: even if the sun is in its final moments, it will be heated again and revived with energy. The human being will have to do more research on how to make better use of clean energy from one of the few we have: the energy of the sun. However, we need forests, trees, because they are our vents.

In these winter border celebrations we should also have a time to reflect, at least to know what and why we are celebrating. There is tremendous recklessness and stupidity. Remember how our ancestors lived the rituals of the forest, wood and fire, for example, by burning the Christmas trunk or the Olentzero trunk.

All countries have characters from the winter border and the Basques, to our own, we call it Olentzero. As in other territories, our character is related to forest and coal. Well here are some: Carbonero “Apalpador” in Galicia, forest mozo “Esteru” in Cantabria, Catalan personified trunk “El ó”.

Many of the Olentzero around us have “noelized”, that is to say, some say that they are being passed over as Pope Noel. Maybe when it comes to distributing toys and gifts, yes. But Coca-Cola hasn't dressed a blouse or a red cap yet. What about gifts is so related to the world of consumption! I really find it difficult to get out of that puddle, especially in the hands of my parents, I would say. It is also in the hands of society, school and parents, to convey Olentzero's mythological relationship with the forest and to increase respect and love for our land, our forests, our trees and our nature.

Iñaki Lasa Nuin