Traditional Basque sport and games are closely linked to the everyday work which the locals converted into amusement in their spare time or on which fierce bets were placed between neighbours. Individuals or teams measure their skill at specific farm or harbour work by competing to see who can cut more grass, more trunks or row faster and demonstrate their famed strength by lifting heavy stones, racing while carrying weights or participating in tug-of-war competitions. They also prove their animals’ strength or training via the pulling of enormous blocks of stone by oxen, ram fights and sheepdog competitions.

WORK-RELATED TRIALS

Harrijasotzailea - Stone-lifters

Huge boulders from the rivers or rocks having rolled down off the mountains would seem to be at the origin since time immemorial of the chance for young Basques to measure their strength. As is the case with most Basque sports, there is not much written information on the subject, although the origin could however lie, like in other sports, in the world of work. Quarrying was widely practised, and it probably didn’t take much for these workers to start competing against one another to see who could lift the heaviest weight. With the rising popularity of competitions and bets between stone-lifters came the need for rules regarding the size and shape of the stone in question. Irregular stones took on the four geometrical forms used today (cylindrical, rectangular, cubic and round). The weights of these stones vary, so that the cylindrical and the round versions correspond to the lightest weights (100 kg, 125 kg,....) while the rectangular variant are reserved for the heaviest. The record currently stands at 320 kg. Bets are made on the number of times the stones are lifted, the time taken to do so, the weight and shape of the stone, etc.

Aizkolaria - Log-cutters

Chopping through trunks with an axe is without a shadow of a

doubt one of the most deeply rooted and extensively ractised

traditional sports in our Country. The fact that the land is so rugged, combined with the mild and humid climate, have favoured the extensive green forests

that cover the area. This, together with a subsoil rich in ferric minerals, led to the growth of an industry requiring enormous amounts of charcoal obtained by calcining the wood in our forests, the consumption of which greatly increased with the arrival of hydraulic ironworks (17th century).

Our flourishing shipyards likewise devoured tremendous quantities of wood. The profession of woodcutter

therefore flourished.

Estropadak - Fixed thwart rowing boat races

This race consists of covering a distance which varies depending on the place and kind of vessel in question. The most popular are the rowing boats with 13 crew members and a skipper doubling as coxswain. It’s not difficult to imagine that the origin of this competition lies in the different uses made of this kind of vessel in the ports and harbours on the Basque coast. The towing of merchant ships to wharves of difficult access, as in the case of Pasajes, meant that groups of boats would launch themselves out to sea to tow in ships spied in the distance. Hunting the whales spotted on the coast meant that the chase had to be taken up with a strong,

lightweight and speedy boat crewed by strong oarsmen. The arrival of steam ships gradually led to these vessels losing their reason to be and the start of competitions between

different crews, villages, etc.

ANIMAL TRIALS

Sheepdog trials

The origin of sheepdog trials lies in the importance of shepherding among the Basques. These dogs basically have to demonstrate obedience, herd the flock of sheep into a fold and back out again to the starting point. They gain points for their said obedience, for the way in which they follow the orders of the shepherd and for taking the sheep round the course without biting or barking at them.

Idi-dema-The dragging of blocks of stone by oxen

Most of our farmhouses are proud of their oxen and challenges between their owners were common in our squares. The weight of the stone varies between 1,000 and 4,500 kilos, although it is not uncommon for them to weigh over 5,000 kilos. Nowadays, however, these

competitions are usually carried out with smaller stones making the event faster and more spectacular, without the short pulls involved in the dragging of heavier blocks. The surface on which the competition takes place is cobbled. The length of the course varies from 22 to 28 metres. The trial consists of dragging the block of stone once up and once down the area in question in the shortest possible time.