Olentzero is a
BasqueThe Basques are the native people of the Basque Country .The Basques as an ethnic group primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country, a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-eastern Spain...
Christmas traditionChristmas in the Basque Country starts with Santo Tomas, a celebration in which most people go out onto the streets to dance and eat txistorra . They wear a traditional outfit called the casera dress. For girls it consists of a long skirt and a long-sleeved old-fashioned shirt with headscarves and...
. According to Basque traditions Olentzero comes to town late at night on the 24th of December to drop off presents for children. In some places he arrives later, for example in Otsagi on the 27th and in
ErmuaErmua is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:* *...
on the 31st.
The name
The name
Olentzero appears in a number of variations:
Onenzaro,
Onentzaro,
Olentzaro,
Ononzaro,
Orentzago and others. The earliest records give the name as
Onentzaro and the name is most likely composed of two elements,
on "good" plus a genitive
pluralPlural, commonly abbreviated pl., is a grammatical number, typically referring to more than one of the referent in the real world. In the English language, singular and plural are the only grammatical numbers.-English:...
ending and the
suffixIn grammar, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
-zaro which in Basque denotes a season (compare words like
haurtzaro "childhood"), so "time of the good ones" literally. This suggests a derivation similar to the
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
nochebuenaNoche Buena, often translated as "Good Night", is a Spanish word referring to the night of Christmas Eve. Custom in Spain, Cuba, the Philippines and Latin America, the evening consists of a traditional dinner with family....
.
Other theories of derivation exist but are not generally accepted:
- from a metathesis
Metathesis may refer to the following:* Metathesis , in phonology, a sound change that alters the order of phonemes in a word...
of Noël
- from a fusion of O Nazarene from Christian liturgy
A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions. The word may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Catholic Mass, or a daily activity such as the Muslim salat and Jewish services...
- from oles-aro "alms season", a phonologically impossible derivation by Julio Caro Baroja
Julio Caro Baroja was a Spanish anthropologist, historian, linguist and essayist....
In parts of
NavarreNavarre is a region in northern Spain, constituting one of its autonomous communities - the "Chartered Community of Navarre" .-History:...
this holiday is called
xubilaro or
subilaro from
subil, the word for a
Yule logA Yule log is a large wooden log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in several European cultures...
plus the suffix
-zaro. In parts of
Lower NavarreLower Navarre is a part of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département of France. Along with Navarre of Spain, it was once ruled by the Kings of Navarre. Lower Navarre was historically one of the kingdoms of Navarre. Its capital were Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Palais...
the word
suklaro is used, a contraction of
sekularo.
Sekularo has no clear
etymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages, and texts about the languages, to gather knowledge about how words were used at earlier stages, and...
but is likely to be related to Latin
saecularis.
The legend
There are many variations to the Olentzero traditions and stories connected to him, sometimes varying from village to village. The first written account of Olentzero is from Lope de Isasi in the 16th century:
A la noche de Navidad (llamamos) onenzaro, la sazón de los buenos "Christmas eve (we refer to) as
onenzaro, the season of the good ones".
One common version has Olentzero being one of the
jentillak, a mythological race of Basque
giantsThe mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
living in the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
. Legend has it that they observed a glowing cloud in the sky one day. None of them could look at this bright cloud except for a very old, nearly blind man. When asked to examine it, he confirmed their fears and told them that it was a sign that Jesus will be born soon. According to some stories, the old man asked the giants to throw him off a cliff to avoid having to live through Christianisation. Having obliged him, the giants tripped on the way down and died themselves except Olentzero.
Other versions have the
jentillak simple leaving, with only Olentzero remaining behind to embrace Christianity.
Parts of this type of Olentzero legend are reminiscent of a prehistoric cult rituals surrounding the
winter solsticeWinter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
, such as the involvement of ritual "last meals" and sacrifices of rebirth.
Other versions of the
Olentzeroren kondaira or "history of Olentzero" tell that as a new born he was abandoned in the woods and was found by a fairy who gave him the name Olentzero, bestowed gifts of strength and kindness on him and handed him to an older childless couple living alone in the woods. He turned into a strong man and charcoal burner who was also good with his hands, carving wooden toys that he would carry in a big charcoal bag to give to the children of the village. It is said that he died one day saving children from a burning house and that when he died, the fairy who had found him granted him eternal life to continue to bring joy to children and people.
Other variations of the legend, customs and the character include:
- in Areso
Areso is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
children would be told to come home early. An adult would then dress up as Olentzero and scare the children still out on the streets with a sickle.
- in Uharte-Arakil
Uharte-Arakil is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
he was traditionally suspended from a rope from a window, dressed in a straw mantle, in Lekunberri* Lekunberri, Spain - a municipality in the province of Navarre , northern Spain.* Lekunberri - a small village in the province of Basse-Navarre, southern France....
the effigy was attached to the chimney
- in Berastegi
Berastegi is a town located in the province of Guipuscoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain, at the shores of the river Elduaran or Berastegi, at 1° 39' 40" east y 43° 08' 40" north, and at an altitude of 161,21 m...
if the children did not want to go to bed, a sickle would be thrown down the chimney and the children told that Olentzero would come to cut their throats if they didn't go to bed
- in Dima
Dima is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.The Axlor archaeological site is nearby.-External links:*...
a straw puppet dressed as Olentzero with a sickle would be hung from the church tower after the midnight mass on Christmas EveChristmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.-Western Churches:Many Roman Catholics and Anglicans traditionally celebrate a midnight Mass which begins sometime before midnight on Christmas Day; this ceremony, which is held in churches...
and if children had been behaving badly, people would say Onontzaro begi-gorri txaminira da etorri, austen baldin badegu barua, orrek lepoa kendu guri "Olentzero with the red eyes has come to the chimney, if we break the fast, he will cut our throats" - referring to the traditional fast in the week before Christmas.
- in Larraun
Larraun is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
he was called Ononzaro and said to have three eyes and usually depicted as a drunkard dressed like a scarecrowA scarecrow is a device – traditionally a human figure or mannequin dressed in old clothes – placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:...
. People would ask Ononzaro begi-gorri, non arrapatu duk arrai ori? (Olentzero of the red eyes, where did you catch that fish (i.e. inebriation)?) and the answer would be Bart arratseko amaiketan Zurriolako arroketan (last night at eleven in the rocks of Zurriola).
Modern customs and derivation
Around 1952, after the darkest years of the
FrancoFrancisco Franco Bahamonde, commonly known as Francisco Franco , or simply Franco, was a military general and dictator of Spain from October 1936, and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in 1975...
dictatorship, a group called Irrintzi Elkartea from
ZarautzZarautz is a coastal village located in the province of Guipuscoa, in the Basque Country, northern Spain.The town is a popular tourist destination with the population swelling from its usual 22,323 to around 60,000 in summer...
began to revive the Olentzero traditions. Some of the more gruesome elements were removed to make Olentzero more suitable for young children and to remove elements which were deemed too pagan. From 1956 onwards, the revived Olentzero traditions began to spread outside those parts of Gipuzkoa where the traditions hailed from. During the 1970s he began to take on further new attributes, such as the bringer of gifts in attempts to find an alternative to the Spanish tradition of the
MagiMagi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BCE, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which was – in the main – the ability to read the stars, and manipulate...
and the French
Père NoëlPère Noël is a legendary gift-giver during Christmas in France and French-speaking areas, identified with Father Christmas in English speaking territories....
, summed up in the slogan
Erregeak, españolak "the Three Wise Men are Spanish". Today Olentzero is celebrated all over the
Basque CountryThe Basque Country as a greater region is a European cultural region in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain, on the Atlantic coast....
and coexists with the Magi, Père Noël and
Father ChristmasFather Christmas is the name used in many English speaking countries for a symbolic figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France Spain , Portugal , Italy and Romania...
, some families choosing to celebrate one or more at the same time.
In the modern version, Olentzero is depicted as a lovable character, widely attributed to being overweight, having a huge appetite and thirst. He is depicted as a Basque peasant wearing a Basque beret, a farmer's attire with traditional
abarketa shoes and smoking a pipe. Whether he has a beard or not is not yet an established tradition. Sometimes his face is stained with charcoal, as a sign of his trade as a charcoal-burner. On Christmas Eve, groups of people or children carry effigies of Olentzero around on a chair through the streets, singing Olentzero carols and collecting food or sweets (not unlike the American
trick or treatTrick or Treat is a Disney cartoon released in October 1952, starring Donald Duck. In this cartoon, a trick-or-treating Huey, Dewey, and Louie try to shame Donald into giving them candy with the help of Witch Hazel in her first appearance. A print adaptation, drawn by Carl Barks, was published...
) and the traditions surrounding the holiday of Santa Ageda in the
Basque CountryThe Basque Country as a greater region is a European cultural region in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain, on the Atlantic coast....
where
oles egitea "asking for alms" is practised. At the end, it is customary in some places to burn the Olentzero, for example in
LesakaLesaka is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, in Spain.-External links:*...
.
Variation is still common, both regionally and culturally depending on whether the pagan or Christian aspects of Olentzaro are being emphasised. Near the sea, he is usually takes on more marine attributes, inland he remains thoroughly rural in nature.
Olentzero songs
Similar to European
Christmas carolA Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ....
s, there are
Olentzero kantak. Two very common ones are:
Olentzero
- Olentzero joan zaigu
- mendira lanera,
- intentzioarekin
- ikatz egitera.
- Aditu duenean
- Jesus jaio dela
- lasterka etorri da
- berri ematera.
- Horra horra
- gure Olentzero
- pipa hortzetan dula
- eserita dago.
- Kapoiak ere ba'itu
- arraultzatxoekin
- bihar meriendatzeko
- botila ardoakin.
- Olentzero gurea
- ezin dugu ase
- osorik jan dizkigu
- hamar txerri gazte.
- Saiheski ta solomo
- horrenbeste heste
- Jesus jaio delako
- erruki zaitezte.
- Olentzerok dakarzki
- atsegin ta poza
- jakin baitu mendian
- Jesusen jaiotza.
- Egun argi honetan
- alaitu bihotza
- kanpo eta barruan
- kendu azkar hotza.
|
Olentzero has gone
to the mountains to work
with the intention
of making charcoal.
When he heard
that Jesus has been born
he came running
to bring news
- There is, there is
- our Olentzero
- with the pipe between his teeth
- he sits.
- He also has capons
- with little eggs,
- to celebrate tomorrow
- with a bottle of wine.
- Our Olentzero
- we can't be hungry
- we have eaten whole
- ten piglets.
- Ribs and pork loin
- so many intestines
- because Jesus is born
- have mercy.
- Olentzero brings
- happiness and joy
- because he has heard on the mountain
- of Jesus' birth.
- On this bright day
- heart, rejoice
- outside and inside
- quickly loose the chill.
|
Olentzero buru handia
The title translates as "Olentzero big head". An
arroa is an old measure equivalent to just over 11kg.
- Olentzero buru handia
- entendimentuz jantzia
- bart arratsean edan omen du
- hamar arroako zahagia.
- Ai urde tripahandia!
- Tralaralala, tralaralala.
- Ai urde tripahandia!
- Tralaralala, tralaralala.
|
Olentzero big head
robed in understanding
is said to have drunk last night
a wineskin of ten arroa
Oh big-bellied pig!
Tralaralala, tralaralala.
Oh big-bellied pig!
Tralaralala, tralaralala. |