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Last Saturday, on September 26, the Euskaldunak Denak Bat Basque club in Arrecifes, Argentina began a all year long list of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Basque Cultural Center and its Lucio Echaniz Library that will take place in September of 2016. The festivities began with a performance by the Iruki Alaiak choir and a talk by Mikel Ezkerro. 

Arrecifes, Argentina.   Both the Eusko Kultur Etxea and its Lucio Echaniz Library have begun this September the program to celebrate their 25th year of life and activity.  The goal is to celebrate the quarter century throughout the coming year with a large list of activities that will conclude with a celebration of the 25 years on September 28, 2016.

The festivities began last September 26 with an evening of music, reflection on what it means to be Basque, and of course a dinner shared with friends.  The renewed Iruko Alaiak choir was in charge of music, now directed by Maria Auil, who sang Cancion de cuna costera, Agur Jaunak, and Fuego en Animana, and the latter accompanied by Christian Rodriguez the percussion player for the group Maral.

Invited by the organizers, and following the music performance, Mikel Ezkerro gave a talk ”In Search of Basque Roots,” to a the audience that filled the club’s 'taberna' place.  During his presentation, Ezkerro did a summary on the founders of the Euskaldunak Denak Bat, emphasizing the figure of Lucio Echaniz, and covering the years from its foundation to today, stressing the values of the Basque people “deeply touching many in the audience.”

The evening concluded with dinner that gathered more than 60 people including members and friends.  After dinner, after enjoying a rich homemade tallarinada, they sang and danced to “Songs for after Dinner” (the latest CD of Maral, encouranging people to sing both traditional and new Basque songs after dinner in the traditional old way).