Joxemiel Bidadores, who took the Plaza de los Burgos, reminds the pastoral Euskaldunak of Pamplona, it can be thought that the Julia Fernández Zabaleta of 2024 is the continuation of that decade. Nothing less than Ihitz Iriarte and Irantzu Fernandez, who are engaged in the process of preparing this year’s pastoral ministry: “A Biker was a pastoral ministry organized by four associations. Among these four were the Zaldiko Maldia, a Cultural Association of the Old Town of Pamplona, which brought together a large number of people. Then, although it is true, immediately after that began the singing workshop, which also came people from the Zaldiko Maldives and the pastoral ministry, but people who were already in that pastoral ministry already had their singing workshop or whatever.”

The Pamplona Irantzu Fernández praises Julia Fernández Zabaleta and runs the Ihitz Iriart table. Iriart is a originally born xiberotarra, but he lives in Pamplona seven years ago. He is a member of the association Zaldiko Maldives, who leads the singing workshop mentioned above, which is at the origin of the Pastoral Ministry of 2024: “If there was another point of follow-up, he was able to see in the imaginary of the people the first pastoral, and perhaps the second, so it is a continuation also in that sense.” However, being the second, Iriarte considers that it is not yet a habit.

In any case, there is a remarkable particularity, according to Iriarte: “On the pastoral Biker is going to be a very different proposal, because we have changed as a writer [Jon Alonso was the first, Mikel Taberna is this time] and the time when he sings is different, even actors and musicians. At the time of staging, I think we're all different, because years have passed. It is made of people almost ten years later, there is a leap.”

Other Basque characters from Pamplona, one of whom was Julia Fernandez Zabaleta, also appeared on the table in the pastoral Bidor, so the choice of this year’s subject is also a pioneer. By chance or by causality, like Julia Fernandez, of the pastoral of nine years ago, this year will also sing Irantzu Fernández.

Why Julia Fernández Zabaleta? She was a woman born in Pamplona in 1898, specifically in Dormitalería Street. His father was an
organist of the cathedral and lived in front of him. When he was young, he became euskaldunified, as he believed in a year, and soon began lecturing. She invited her to Doneztebe, for example, the Basque Country itself. She was also a pedagogical pioneer, as she was awarded a scholarship by the City of Pamplona to Barcelona to study with María Montessori. From there he returned, adapted what he learned and started working as a professor. He was also an active member of the Union of Abertzales Women (UTE) and never tired of claiming the presence of the woman. Irantzu Fernandez, who has taken over Julia’s character, says: “An innovative pedagogical line, on the one hand, nationalism and vasquism, on the other, and adding to it the feminist demand… and all that in its time… Have such a figure here and be so unknown… but how is it possible? It seems to me that this woman really deserves a pastoral and anything else.”

He also had to go into exile: “It’s not that these things are done alone and so do them, right? There is a real danger… I always had to deal with what was coming.”

And why in pastoral format? That was the goal. In the singing workshop, participants saw that they learned and learned songs and increased their repertoire, but they were aware that if they did not have it as a show in Pamplona, it is not too much place to enjoy singing on the street. Food times come from time to time, but there's not much habit of singing in the street, except on specific dates like Christmas or St. Fermín. “At the time it was banned, and well, I think that worked well. Now it’s just in the music bars, which means that a singing workshop like ours is not made to be seen, but that the goal was for every person in that workshop to learn more in the Basque song to realize the old and new heritage we have,” explains the guide of the singing workshop.

Thus, Iriarte brought the proposal to the singing workshop: “Let’s do an exercise: a pastoral”. Despite having in mind, they were clear that, in principle, without aiming to give the outside, they would work pastoral care and take the necessary time. Most of the participants were encouraged to give the yes by raising the possibility of going abroad.

What does pastoral care bring to Pamplona? Fernandez does not think so much about what he gives to the city, but he says that although he is afraid of the duration, he will not repent to whoever comes: “Only
knowing this woman has something to gain.”

At the same time, he wanted to stress that what the local people are going to do is that “it is obvious that we are not professionals, and that is charming, is a pastoral home. They appear, for example, in a hunt or in a jelkada. And you say, how will we do that? Well, well, ordained. We have toys, it is not such a big assembly, but in our simplicity, orderly.”

Ihitz Iriarte responds that what he has brought to Pamplona is said by the spectator, but surely “a nice memory, as Biker has been, something that is in the head, something we know how to do…”.

The board director added that the people who were known to the group by Zaldiko’s singing workshop are
now known in another way: “There is a constant exchange, necessary for everything to work well, to understand that you have to function in a group, that if you do well your thing is not enough, there are values that you want and do not integrate… I don’t mean that it works for your whole life, but it does.”

In addition, the selection of music and singing writers has not been made randomly: “Perhaps a people who has never participated in pastoral care has been proposed so that there is no more pastoral care for them.” Iriarte has argued that the opportunity has been given to young people, women or people who have never written for their pastoral care, and that this is of particular importance.

From Malaga, according to the definition of the authenticity of the art of Walter
Benjamin, points out that the existence of authenticity will depend on its aura. That is, the artistic expression will be authentic if it has aura, if it responds here and now to one. In this way artistic expression will only maintain its social function.

In this sense Iriart said: “Always, right? Make a pastoral here, but it serves the people here, with references from here. Even if that’s the way people feel closer and closer, because you always relate more to the world that is yours.” The alien has had no trouble obtaining the license to adapt some of the characteristics of Zuberoa’s “traditional” pastoralists: “We have not worked as in Xubero a jelkaldi = melody, but to keep the same music around an idea. It's also decided to play musically with sounds. This is not normal in itself either, but there is one tool we have used. A fanfare will make the entrances of the blues, so the bagpipes will interpret the entrances of the reds, the bad ones. When they are all together, they will all touch.”

In this sense, Iriarte explained that the proposal to create their own ritual for local people is to “continuously give information and codes to people, and then re-give those references to turn them into a rite”.

“Of course, we are used to the actors entering and leaving Zuberoa with certain music. Here everything is adapted to us and that is very nice,” adds Fernández. All songs singing throughout the pastoral, except for some melody, have been created expressly for pastoral care, which enriches the performance.

With ten years Ihitz Iriarte
participated for the first time in a pastoral ministry in Atharratz and has been performing different roles on other occasions. Instead, as a table or grid director, he has never had contact with the Zuberoa pastoralists. He does not know if he will ever do so, because he has had a proposal, but he is doubtful: “He has a lot of contradictions with my way of seeing pastoral care and will not give me, for example, how to work in this pastoral care: few participants, but active”. Iriarte claims that it is any asset that participates in this pastoral ministry: “Sure, there is a table with the last word, I said it from the beginning, we cannot negotiate everything that has been 30. In Zuberoa there are a hundred actors, you cannot participate as you do, these have already been told to know the pastoral with another way compared to a pastoral ministry of the people of Zuberoa”.

What was not so easy was the work of the imaginary. Most pastoral amateurs Julia Fernández Zabaleta are dedicated for the first time to pastoral care: “This means that we have to explain many codes: how the stick works, what the melody is, what the way of singing, what the pastoral way is for the foundation to function well, what the pastoral care is… The red door, the blue door, where you should put it, no… For those who have had the last year of pastoral care,

At the same time, ignorance brings some advantages and the actors have had the opportunity to make proposals with less limitations: “Some things are innocent, but at least the source for the proposals is open and some ideas that are proposed serve to be applied here”.

Before the public, they held the first session twice the week before the publication of the Report and will be issued for the second time on
12 May. Irantzu Fernandez talked to us enthusiastically that they had not yet done the first session, with a point of nervousness: “The experience we had with Bider, that would not change for anything. I haven’t had this kind of high…” And Iriarte, in laughter: “Yes, Korrika and Pastoral.”

“You’ll be aware of what you’ve worked for,” the pastoral ministry said. “The public should also change and adapt their attitude. Pastoral care will be longer than the previous one and is also very interesting. They will be able to participate, of course, because the reactions that occur are part of pastoral care, but they will also have to adapt to this new pastoral care. It is not that the public is educated, but in a sense yes, that is why this is political.”

For the result to be of quality, the participants have given special importance to the character and text. “We have tried to put aside the unnecessary. Pastoral care is simple and we are not going to fill Pamplona, but we go with a nice quality job so that people know all that work.”

The couple wanted to end the talk by singing two beautiful verses of the Biker pastoral:

We couldn't fool ourselves.
Simplicity is us
who are
living, but let's make the careless.

It is born here, it grows here outside here, it cannot live, and
what is worth
expressing
in Basque!