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Basque woman wearing burukoa - Bizkaia antzinako burukoa - at Butron castle, Gatika, Pais Vasco, 03 June 2006

DESCRIPTION 

(N.B. The below text is a translation from a leaflet displayed at Castillo Bruton, Gatika. If you have a better descriptive text or reference please let me know.) 

The unusual style of the Basque burukoa dates from the sixteenth century and is a style of womens´ hat unique to Pais Vasco (Basque Country), northern Spain.

The style of the burukoa (the word for headress in Euskara, the Basque language) emerged from the way Basque women wore their hair.

In the sixteenth century the single women of Pais Vasco were distinct from the rest of the country in that they wore their heads uncovered and their hair cut cropped very short leaving only a hair bun at the front.

These hairstyles brought much attention to the women of Pais Vasco, but their original headdresses which they displayed generated even more attention to them. A framework of wicker was made and over various lengths of different linens were wound, giving them beautiful and unusual shapes. Different regions of Pais Vasco had their own distinctive style of burukoa.

The resulting burukoas typically had a very pointed horn shape, with a clear phallic meaning. Unsurprisingly this style of headdress was not appreciated by the church authorities who condemned their use and demanded that the burukoa be covered with veils.

500 years later the Basque tradition of the burukoa is still maintained in Pais Vasco at events such as the medieval fair held at Castillo Bruton, near Gatika, some 20 miles from Bilbao.

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Basque men rest while performing the Joaldunak folk dance during the first Feria de Folklore de Portugalete, near Bilbao, Pais Vasco / Basque Country, 8 May 2006

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The “Joaldunak” (Euskara language) is a Basque folk custom of pagan origin, the original purpose of which was to awaken spring. A troop of men dressed as pagan characters march around a town or district in two columns with a heavy gait, following their leader. The men wear cone shaped pointed hats decorated with ribbons and topped with feathers, bright neck scarves, thick sheepskin waistcoats, carry horsehair whips in their hands and on their feet wear white woollen socks and black lace up moccasins typical of Basque traditional dress. Two large cowbells (“dunba” – cowbell in Euskara) on their backs protrude from a leather or rope belt, the ringing of the bells as they march announces their passage. A skirt or kilt of thin material is also worn, this does not detract from the solemn nature of the men.

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Two young Basque men play the txalaparta, a traditional Basque percussion instrument, at a folk fair in Portugalete, Pais Vasco. 8 May 2006

DESCRIPTION
The Txalaparta – (Euskara, pronounced ‘chalaparta’) is an ancient Basque and Navarran percussion instrument consisting of one or more planks of wood or steel bars and is played by two people. The two players strike the planks, using batons made of wood or iron. One player maintains the basic rhythm while the other fills the gaps, creating a counterpoint to the rhythm.