Donostia-San Sebastián. The choirs of Santa Ageda are a tradition in many towns and places in the Basque Country, a tradition that is also reflected in the Diaspora. Some Basque club revive the custom of going from house to house, visiting neighbors and singing the traditional Santa Ageda verses, banging the ground with makilas (sticks). As with many other events that include gatherings this year Santa Agueda will not be celebrated, or at least not in the way that we are accustomed to.
This is not a reason to let the date go by unnoticed however, because we are very aware of the times that we were not able to get together physically, but we could virtually, as well as through our memories. So on this February 5th, the eve of Santa Ageda, we have chosen two videos from previous years in the Diaspora that illustrate the celebration and give us strength to appreciate it more and experience it with greater intensity, if possible, once the pandemic is over.
The first video comes from Boise, Idaho with a group gathered by the Basque club and the Basque Museum and coordinated by Todor Azurtza singing the traditional song in different spots on the Basque Block, here at a stop at the Leku Ona Bar-Restaurant. The video is from 2019.
Santa Ageda en Boise. Stop at the Leku Ona on the Basque Block (video EuskalKultura.eus)
The second video is from last year, and in this case in the streets of downtown Madrid, in the Plaza Mayor (central square), at an event organized by the Madrid Euskal Etxea and its Basque Choir, directed by Jose Luis Zamanillo.
Singing verses in the middle of the Plaza Mayor, in the heart of a tour of Madrid’s old part (video EE)
We thank both groups for their efforts every year preparing and carrying out the activity. Those that revive and settled on customs and quotes that they learned as children and who have decided to keep them wherever they live because that’s how they feel and live.
Dear Reader, if you would like to follow the video and join in, here are the lyrics to the Santa Ageda verses (see translation and explanation on Wikipedia) :
"Zorion, etxe hontako denoi!
Oles egitera gatoz,
aterik ate ohitura zaharra
aurten berritzeko asmoz.
Ez gaude oso aberats diruz,
ez eta ere oinetakoz.
Baina eztarriz sano gabiltza,
ta kanta nahi degu gogoz"
Eup!
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