Today is undoubtedly a special day on the calendar for many Basques: finally the day of the Cup Finals arrived and Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will face off at Santiago Calderon Stadium in Madrid in a very exciting match, even in the Diaspora where many Basque clubs, peñas, homes and bars will be following the action closely. From Rosario, Athletic coach Bielsa’s hometown, Enrique Otaño, president of Zazpirak Bat in Rosario (Basque center that is celebrating its Centennial, including organizing Argentina’s Semana Vasca in November), wrote in Deiathis article today with pride and unconditional support of Athletic.
But today, May 25th, it's also national holiday in Argentina where Basque clubs like Laurak Bat in Buenos Aires will gather to celebrate the occasion to share a long lunch together, until 5pm (10pm in Madrid) or game time so they can watch the game together on a big screen TV at the clubhouse. Similar things will take place in other Basque-Argentine clubs and around the world, connecting to broadcasts on various channels, with the invaluable help of the Internet. The peña in Sydney is going to have to make a special effort since they will have to be ready at 6am on Saturday, local time, to watch the game live. On the other hand, our friends in California, some of whom have asked for time off to watch the game live at 1pm local pacific time.
In Bakersfield, California some folks will have all weekend to celebrate a desired victory. Just as today is a holiday in Argentina, Monday is Memorial Day in the United States; the chosen weekend for Basques at the Kern Country Basque Club in Bakersfield to celebrate its picnic and annual Basque festival. This year’s celebration marks the festival’s 40 anniversary even if the club itself, founded in 1944, will celebrate its 68 year. It is now preparing to host the NABO convention in 2014 that will take place in Bakersfield to mark its 70 year, as published yesterday on EuskalKultura.com.
Speaking of festivals, tomorrow, Saturday, they will celebrate in the Navarrese Valley of Ultzama, the “Day of Absent Navarrese) (day to celebrate Navarrese abroad), an annual celebration that is marking its 24 edition organized each year by the Government of Navarre along with a local entity that rotates each year. The program will begin at 10:30am with a full slate of leisure activities that will include trikitixas, rural sports and a large number of festive events throughout the day.
To close today’s post, I am going to take advantage of these lines to refer to three friends in the Diaspora, all three advanced in age and references for their local Basque communities who have left us a few days or weeks ago.
Domingo Martirena died in Buffalo, WY (USA), born in Arzainxuria in Baigorri (Lower Navarre). We met 22 years ago in Buffalo while he was a radio host on the Basque Program, broadcasted in Basque on the local radio station KBBS. The last time I saw him was last summer at his home in Buffalo, where he was already confined with oxygen, even though he still had his "genius and figure". He will remain in my memory with the “Biba, biba, biba eskualdunak” with which he always ended the anthom “Gernikako Arbola.”
In Boise, ID Teodoro Totorica passed away at the beginning of the month, father of Gloria (Totoricagüena), Rose, Ted, Dolores, Tony, Carmen and Teresa and patriarch of a large Basque-American family that contribuited with good fruits to our common heritage. A big hug to everyone, including Mari Carmen Egurrola, the amatxu and amume of the clan.
Much further south, last Monday Maximo Corcuera died in the town of Coronel Dorrego in Argentina. He was another reference to the local Basque community and a member of the Basque club having held various offices; he served as president for the 'Denak Elkarrekin' of Dorrego until this last March. I remember seeing him during a trip to his town just a year and a half ago, when Maximo and friends from the club made me feel at home, like in a family reunion, as happens many times in the Diaspora, sharing feelings and stuff that go beyond words. Beude gure gogoan.
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