Artzain Eguna (Day of the Sheepherder) in Gipuzkoa will pay tribute in Legazpi to the Basque-Californian Oçafrain brothers and the Euskal Artzainak Ameriketan Association. The Association Euskal Artzainak Ameriketan is taking this meeting in Legazpi as its that annual one that gathers every edition between 400-500 of its associates and families. The day will also include a traditional fair with farmers’ exhibits and crafts, cheese tastings, meet and farm products, sheepdog trials, cheese contests etc., etc.
Legazpi, Gipuzkoa. Euskal Artzainak Ameriketan (Basque Sheepherders in America) is an association that is fundamentally made up of Navarrese from both sides of the Pyrenees, created a decade ago to gather former herders that lived and worked for a time in North America and later returned to their homeland, but who have never forgotten what their experiences in America meant in each of their lives. The purpose of the Association is to bring awareness to this Basque-American piece of history, publicize it and acknowledge the contributions made by these immigrants, which permeated, conditioned and enriched the life of their hometowns; and in turn in North America formed and created the Diaspora reality in communities that generations of Basques now comprise in Basque clubs and NABO, the federation of North American Basque entities.
The Artzain Eguna in Legazpi will honor the entity leaded by Laura Igantzi, now from Lesaka but born in California. Euskal Artzainak Ameriketan will participate in the tribute organizing in Legazpi its 2017's annual get-together and meal, that usually gathers between 400--500 “amerikanuak.”
The program will include tributes to Gipuzkoan herders, this including: José Antonio Etxezarreta and Lourdes Errazkin, from Segura, and Joxe Larrea Aldasoro from Zegama; as well as brothers Henri, Domingo and Jean-Louis Oçafrain, born in Banka (Behe Nafarroa), who immigrated to California and are members of a extended Basque-American family whose some generations have been raised in San Francisco, California as well as in the Basque Country, active in their respective Basque clubs and activities.
The day will also include other attractive traditions that include a Basque sheep cheese contest, and the 49th edition of the Artzain Txakurren Txapelketa (sheep dog trials) in Gipuzkoa and a fair and booths where homemade products will be available for purchase, crafts, cheese tastings, meat, etc. as well as sheep shearing demonstrations, among other activities.
The event will begin at the Euskal Herria Plaza in Legazpi at 10am.
Send to a friend
Add comment
