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Big festivities took place last weekend at the Paris Euskal Etxea that celebrated 60 years since its birth.  The event began on Saturday night with rock concerts at the Basque club.  On Sunday, 150 people gathered for a meal, attracted by the celebration as well as the opportunity to try the food prepared by Chef Bixente Muñoz from the Gran Sol in Hondarribia and his team. 

Paris, France.  Sixty years have passed since the Euskal Etxea of Paris was founded, when a group of youth, led by Jeanne Idiart and Louis Domecq inaugurated the first clubhouse.  Over time, Pariseko Eskual Etxea (PEE) has had to move to the neighborhood of Saint Ouen, where they have completely integrated, and have been carrying out their activities to disseminate the Basque culture ever since.

Last weekend the Euskal Etxea was adorned for the 60th anniversary gala, and the meeting point for Basques in Paris.  The festivities began with a night of Basque Rock, on Saturday with the groups “Baobabs will destroy your planet” and “Katez,” as Maitane Larronde told EuskalKultura.com.

On Sunday, the celebration was “more chic and elegant” according to Maitane.  The day began with mass at Notre Dame du Rosaire, celebrated by Aita Mounho, with the participation of the choirs from the PEE, Gernika and Anaiki. 

After mass, members and guests moved to the clubhouse where they enjoyed an aperitif, followed by a meal prepared by the prestigious restaurant, the Gran Sol, in Hondarribia, known for its varied and original offerings of pintxos.  Bixente Muñoz and his helpers, Mikel and Iñigo labored in the kitchen so that everyone would enjoy, “very rich dishes with a mix of incredible flavors, everything was phenomenal,” Larronde said.  “Mikel, Bixente and Iñigo, eskerrik asko from the bottom of our hearts for all your work, as well as your good humor.”

Dessert was prepared by Xabi Mougica, from Lekorne, who made a beautiful tiered cake decorated in the Basque colors, and complete with candles.

Club president, Sebastien Daguerre, addressed those present and thanked everyone for attending, as well as the visit of Asier Vallejo, Director of the Basque Community Abroad of the Basque Government and Manu Meaurio, technician for European Basque clubs.  In the same way, Daguerre thanked the previous presidents for their work, especially those who were present, Trinquet and Domecq. 

“Finally, all of the volunteers who have worked getting everything ready, serving and cleaning up also deserve our thanks.  It was a lot of work because some 500 servings were served,” Larronde added.  “We never forget the work done by volunteers since that is the basis of the club’s success.”

Work on the roof

After the celebration, the club returned to working on the clubhouse, which are their next challenges.  “Our biggest problem is the work needed, after fixing the roof, we need to do the insolation.  Our building is beautiful, but maintaining it is expensive and we have to organize several activities to finance it,” Larronde explained.

The Basque club also let us know about its upcoming activities:

-November 19: Rugby night, France-Australia.
-November 26: Gatibu concert.
-December 10: Santo Tomas/Saint Thomas Celebration.