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The Haize Hegoa Basque Club in the Uruguayan capital will celebrate San Juan 2017 with a double activity.  On the one hand, as a prelude, last Friday Enrique Poittevin gave a talk on the St John's Basque traditions at the clubhouse, and on the other, on June 23rd, club members will light a bonfire in front of the club that will be surrounded by singing and dancing.  Besides that, remember that the Basque Gastronomic Festival concluded in May at the Hotel Cottage also in the capital city with Haize Hegoa’s support. 

Montevideo, Uruguay.   As part of the Cultural Lecture Series organized by the Haize Hegoa Basque Club, FIVU’s president, Enrique Poittevin gave a talk entitled, “The Festival of San Juan” at the clubhouse.  But this wasn’t the only activity to celebrate the solstice. On June 23, the night before San Juan, members of Haize Hegoa will light a bonfire on the corner of Isabela and Chopitea streets in front of the clubhouse, to light up the night sky on the longest night of the year.

“This night magic, wishes, renewal and hope all come together.  Everything bad and undesirable is burned, purifying the future.  Come jump over the flames of the fire prepared by everyone who would like to participate by bringing logs, branches, old wood, and notes with bad or sad events and everything you consider necessary for purification…,” as stated in Haize Hegoa’s invitation.

Around the fire there will also be “songs, dancing and hot, strong beverages to fight the cold.” The event will begin at 8pm on the 23rd.

Basque Gastronomic Festival

On May 25-27, the first Basque Gastronomic Festival was held at the Cottage Hotel in Montevideo.  Over the three-day event, organized and supported by Haize Hegoa provided the public the opportunity to enjoy traditional Basque cooking, but also dancing, music and other cultural aspects of Euskal Herria.

The buffet style allowed attendees to try various Basque delicacies all at one.  The menu included traditional dishes like garlic soup, salads, pintxos; main dishes like marmitako, codfisg Biscayan style, Hake green sauce. Basque chicken, and tongue; desserts included frite milk, apple pie, rice pudding or pears in red wine.  There was also a wine tasting of wines from bodegas that accompanied the event.

Haize Hegoa explained that the dishes, recipes and how to prepare the dishes was overseen by Maite Bengoa Tejeria in conjunction with the hotel’s executive chef, Mr. Edison Lopez, who achieved bringing the aromas and spirit of the Basque Country to Montevideo.  “The audience wasn't the usual one to the Basque club's events and many had no idea about Haize Hegoa or its activities.  So we feel that we can say that we met our goal of spreading the Basque culture, in an enjoyable way, according to those who attended,” Haize Hegoa sources said.