Wood chopping, wagon pulling, traditional dancing, and lots of food - you can expect all of these at Jaialdi, Idaho’s largest Basque celebration.
It’s been a decade since the last Jaialdi. Meaning simply, “festival” in Basque, Jaialdi is usually held every five years, but was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. For Idaho’s Basque community, the largest outside of Europe, the celebration is set to be festive.
“The Basques are drinkers. They like to drink,” says Nancy Zubiri, author of “Jaialdi: A Celebration of Basque Culture.”
“They drink red wine with every meal - with their dinners, but sometimes lunch and breakfast too, depending on the occasion,” said Zubiri.
Along with drinks, attendees will be able to enjoy basque staples like paella rice bowls, fried croquetas rolls and solomo pork sandwiches.
Basques have a long history of coming together. They immigrated to the Western U.S. from the Basque Country during the 19th-century Gold Rush. They established tight-knit communities, like Boise’s Basque Block.
“Within these neighborhoods, the language was preserved and the culture was preserved, and they started forming social clubs in order to keep all of that going,” said Zubiri.
That led to the first Jaialdi taking place at Idaho’s Old Penitentiary in 1987. The event proved so popular that it’s become a cultural staple for Idaho, Zubiri stated.
Attendees can watch Basque musicians and dancers from around the world perform. Expect traditional Oinkari dancers in white garbs moving to the buoyant sound of a Trikitixa button accordion.
They can also see “Herri Kirolak,” or rural sports competitions. Basque competitors will battle to toss the heaviest hay bale or lift the biggest stone.
Organizers are expecting 40,000 attendees, which would make this year’s Jaialdi the biggest yet.
