The above categories included in the H18K group aside, there are a number of other rural and traditional Basque sports, some of which are extremely popular both in and outside the Basque Country. Some are indigenous, some also occur in areas adjacent to the Basque country or other cultures around the world.
Ahari topeka (ram fighting) in 1937
Ram fights, also variously called ''
(ram bets) and ahari talka'' (ram bump) are very popular around the
Urola basin in towns like
Azpeitia (between October and June) and
Arroa. They test the strength and endurance of the rams, using their natural inclination to fight other rams. The rams are trained and fed on a variety of secret diets involving things like beans, apples, red wine, carrots or egg yolk. A basic fight goes over at least 8
ekintaldi (attacks), also called
kintze (from Spanish
quince "15"), with the best of 8 winning. To score a point, a ram has to land a square hit on his opponent's head or horns. If the ram runs away at the start, the owner is allowed to bring him back into the ring once. There are records of bets over 100 attacks, but these are rare now. Although the strongest rams are said to come from the
Aralar Mendilerroa mountain range between
Gipuzkoa and
Navarre, they are also said to be too placid so the preference is for rams from the region around
Urbasa,
Andia, and
Gorbeia. The Basque Government controversially banned the
Iurreta '''' in 2007 on
animal welfare grounds. This sport is called '''' in Spanish.
Aitzur jaurtiketa (hoe throwing) A game of throwing
hoes. In Spanish this is called '
and in French as '.
Antzar jokoa (goose game) There are two variations of this game depending on whether it is played at a seaside town or inland. In a seaside town, a long rope is suspended between a pole on the quay and the mast of a boat. A dead goose (previously live geese were used too) is suspended head down in the middle of the rope. Teams now have to row out and a designated person must jump up, grab the goose, hang on to it and try to remove the head before falling off. At the same time, sailors at both ends of the rope try their best to shake the person clinging to the goose off. The team that collects the most heads wins. Inland, the rope is suspended over the ground and the same goal must be achieved from horseback. The most famous of these is held in
Lekeitio on '''' (goose day), held between 1 and 8 September, which goes back at least to the year 1877, when it was played only by sailors. It has also been celebrated on other days in other villages, sometimes (for example in
Gernika) using chicken instead of geese. In Spanish this is called
juego de gansos and in French as ''jeu d'oie''.
Ardi ile moztea (sheep shearing) Sheep shearing also features in Basque rural sports and works along similar lines as other sheep shearing contests. '''' translates as "the shearing of sheep's wool" and it is also known as '''' "sheep shearing".
Asto arineketan (donkey races) Similar to
horse racing but with donkeys.
Blankolari (shooting) Shotgun shooting is particularly popular in the area around
Eibar in the Basque Country. In Spanish this is called
puntería con escopeta and in French as
compétition avec escopette.
Bola jokoa (bowls) Basques have also their own variants of
dirt-track and lawn bowls. There is a large number of variations of the game but most are similar to
skittles and centre around a set of pins that must be knocked down with a ball.
Espadrila jaurtiketa (espadrilles tossing) A game of throwing
espadrilles, a kind of shoe with a straw sole. In Spanish this is called '
and in French as '.
Estropadak (rowing competitions) A very popular
rowing competition all along the coast of the
Bay of Biscay and the Northern coast of the
Iberian Peninsula. This sport hails back to the days when fishermen had to reach fishing grounds quickly and return to port as quickly as possible to achieve the best price. The crew is made up of thirteen oarsmen and the
cox, who faces them at the
stern. The boats are called '
(' in
Spanish), and are derived from 19th century fishing boats. The most important competition in the Bay of Biscay in summer takes place the first two Sundays in September: the
Kontxako Bandera, where the best teams compete against each other, following a tradition which is over a hundred years old. There is a regatta in almost every seaside town between July and October.
Goitibeherak (soapbox cars) In the Basque Country the tradition of building
soapbox cars goes back at least to the early 20th century. The name is a
contraction of '
which means "from the top to the bottom". Unlike most European soapbox cars, the ' are three-wheelers and the early versions simply consisted of a triangular frame on three wheels or even scavenged
ball bearings with a plank to sit upon, which children would race down the slopes found in many Basque towns. The earliest documented races date back to the mid-1970s, when races were held during local festivals. The first Basque national competition was held in 1976, and they are common events all over the Basque Country today. One of the biggest events, the
Goitibehera Munduko Txapelketa (World Goitibehera Championship) was first held in 1985 in
Pamplona during the
San Fermínes and has been held at irregular intervals since, the last time on 28 June 2008 when the IX World Championship was held. The normal soapbox races are called '
in Spanish, but this version is called ' even in Spanish. They occur in the Basque Country and
Uruguay to where they were exported by Basque emigrants.
Igel jokoa (frog game) The frog game is a
pub game played both in the Basque Country and outside. In the Basque Country, it is commonly played in Basque
sagardotegiak (cider houses) and taverns. The aim of the game is to score as many points as possible by throwing ten metal discs at a chest. The chest can be placed at a range of distances away from the players, usually 8–15 paces. On top of the chest, there is an iron frog with an open mouth, a mill, and a bridge. Underneath are more empty compartments. In most variants, a player who manages to hit the frog's mouth is awarded 50 points; 25 points are awarded for getting the disc under the mill, 10 for the bridge, and 5 for any of the compartments below. Other scoring systems also exist. Some frog chests have obstacles built into the frog, mill, and bridge to make the game more difficult. Discs that have hit any mark are collected at the back of the chest via a set of metal tubes. In Spanish, this game is called '
in Spain and Chile, ' in
Peru and
Argentina, '
in Bolivia, and just ' in
Colombia. In French, it is referred to as ''''. In
England, it is known as
toad in the hole.
Korrika (racing) Also a popular sport in the Basque country. There are broadly speaking two categories: • races held in
bullrings where a circle with a
radius. Competitors try to complete a set number of laps as fast as possible. •
cross country races, usually of more than . A highly popular race, the
Korrika, is held once a year in aid of
Basque schools and crosses all parts of the Basque Country. The goal is not competition, but the raising of funds and awareness. A variant of the '
are the ' (walkers), a fast walking race that was particularly popular in
Navarre in the 19th and 20th century with the walkers wearing the
abarketa, a traditional Basque leather shoe, and a hazel stick. The traditional forms of running '''' have been largely supplanted by modern forms of
running and
racing.
Kukaina (yard climbing) in Buñol, Valencia. This variant of the
Neapolitan greasy pole game is usually played on a
yard that is suspended horizontally over water. A piece of cloth is attached to the far end of the yard and competitors have to try to reach it and retrieve it. A variant uses a greased vertical pole. It can also be spelled '
, a word which derives from the Spanish word ' (
Cockaigne) and in French ''''.
Laiariak (laia competitions) region|left This is a competition involving the
laia, a farming implement that resembles a two-pronged heavy pitchfork with an off-centre handle, either with a long or short handle. Traditionally four or five members of either gender of a
baserri family are picked to compete as a team, the task being to turn over a plot of land as quickly as possible. A variation of this is '
, a ' race where the competitors stand on a pair of '''' and race, not dissimilar to a race on stilts. The '''' was a very widespread instrument used to loosen soil. With the advent of modern farming machinery, its use is now restricted to area machines cannot reach, for example on high slopes, and
kitchen gardens. In Spanish this is called '
or ', in French as ''''.
Makil tira (stick pulling) In this game, two players sit on the ground with their feet touching, separated by a plank. Both players also hold onto a
makila, and the aim is to lift one's opponent to their feet. In Spanish this is called '
, in French as '.
Oilar jokoa (chicken game) This term in Basque covers two sorts of chicken games: •
cockfighting, which was outlawed in 1926. • a game where a chicken is buried to the neck and blindfolded. Competitors, themselves blindfolded too, have to locate the chicken guided by the music of a
txistulari or drummer. In the old days the goal was to remove the head from the chicken once it was located but when played today, it is sufficient to touch the head. The most famous '''' is held in
Legazpi in June today but the game used to be more widespread.
Palanka jaurtiketa (metal bar throwing) The
throwing of a metal bar was once one of the most popular and widespread of Basque sports. Its popularity waned during the 19th century. Having died out in most areas, it survived the longest in parts of
Gipuzkoa until its ultimate demise in the 20th century. The '
(thrower) throws a ', a
traditional mining tool weighing between as far as possible. Various throwing techniques were employed, most involving the '
twisting around before launching the '. Some techniques by name are: • '''' "with half a turn" • '''' "from the chest" • '''' "from between the legs" The origins of this sport are in the mining industry where the '''' was traditionally used to prepare the holes into which explosives were then placed from the 15th century onwards. As a pastime, the miners would see who could throw the heavy tool the furthest in their breaks. Curiously, the Spanish athlete
Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo used a
javelin-throwing technique based on the Basque techniques of throwing the
palanka at the
1960 Summer Olympics in
Rome. Initially breaking the world record in javelin-throwing, his record was later annulled when the
IAAF amended its rules to exclude techniques that at any point in time involve the athlete or the javelin facing or pointing toward the audience. In Spanish this is called '
or ' and in French ''''.
(pitcher race) This sport involves a pitcher variously called
:eu:pegarra,
bera,
:es:pedarra and '''' in Basque. It is a traditional ceramic pitcher that resembles a fat teapot, with a diameter at the base of around , a lid on the top with about diameter, and about tall and a fairly large spout. It can either be glazed or unglazed, with one or three handles (if it was designed to be hung) that was traditionally used to carry water. It is carried on a head cushion called '
and the aim of a race is to get to the finish line without dropping the '. It is difficult to ascertain how old the sport is but one of the earliest records of the ''
being used to carry water on the head dates back to a Dutch book from 1603 called Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Abraham Ortelius which has an illustration of a Basque woman carrying a ''. In Spanish this is called '
and in French '.
Esku Pilota (Basque pelota) The Basque sport best known outside the Basque Country is
Basque pelota. It is a Basque version of the family of
ball games that covers
squash,
tennis, and
real tennis, all of them thought to derive from the
Jeu de paume and hence a relative of
Valencian pilota. But the main innovation of Basque pilota is that players share a common playground and throw the ball to a wall, making it an
indirect game, while the other games in this family are generally
direct games where the players face each other in two separate fields separated by a net or line on the ground. The Basques began playing pelota
indirectly during the middle of the 19th century. For the different variations of Basque pelota, see the main article on
Basque pelota. While most of the best world players are Basque (in either the Spanish or the French federations), it is by no means limited to the Basque Country and is also played in
Castile,
Rioja and places where Basques have emigrated to such as
Mexico, (home of
frontenis), the
United States, and the
Philippines. As such it has been an Olympic exhibition sport in
Paris, Mexico, and Barcelona. It is called '
in Spanish and ' in French.
Pulsolariak (arm wrestling) Basque
arm wrestling follows broadly the same rules as anywhere else. ===
Recortes=== A form of
bull-leaping called '
in Basque and ' in Spanish, is practiced in parts of the Basque Country, especially
Navarre.
Soka-muturra (bull-herding) The name of this sport literally translates as "snout rope" ('
"rope" and ' "snout"). It is '''' ("calves") in Spanish. It derives from a tradition where cattle destined for slaughter were led through the town on long ropes regularly on a particular day of the week (which varies from town to town). Occasionally a bull would break free on run wild, an event called '''' (to make a run), while the crowds made sport of the bulls. From the 14th century onwards bulls were increasingly let loose on purpose, ultimately leading to the tradition of
running the bulls. It's also known as '''', the game of the rope boys. Sometimes this would happen at night, with lights attached to the bulls, the most likely forerunner of the '
or "fire bull". In the ', a contraption of fireworks is strapped to a bull and lit at night. Today this is sometimes also practised in bullrings, either temporary or permanent, using calves rather. If fully grown bulls are used it is as a prelude for a
bullfight, which is a regular feature of the
Running of the Bulls in
Iruñea/Pamplona.
Toka This is game involves throwing small objects like pebbles, balls or coins across a distance, trying to hit the target, a vertical metal pole. It is called '
in Spanish and ' in French.
Txakur probak (sheepdog trials) Sheepdog trials are another lively example of the Basque traditional pastoral lifestyle. They're also called '''' or "shepherd dogs skill competitions". Sheepdog trials in the Basque Country are very similar to those held in other countries and involves a sheepdog having to herd a flock of ewes into a
fold. Traditionally the '''' or
Basque shepherd dog is kept but
border collies are also increasingly popular. Identifying the best dogs for breeding is an important part to these competitions. A major Basque sheepdog trial event is held in
Oñati in September. In Spanish this is called '
and in French '. ==See also==