Cambios

The household fire would be part of the call for a second tooth to appear, for example. Children used to throw the tooth that had fallen out into the fire and say: ''Tori zarra ta ekatzu berria ''(take the old one and bring the new)<ref><span style="background-">This custom and the chants sang are included in the chapter in this Ethnographic Atlas on <span style="background-">''Children’s Games in the Basque Country''<span style="background-">. </ref> (Oiartzun-G). Fire was also capable of cleansing bread or other food that had fallen on the floor or water brought from the fountain after sunset. People or animals that came from outside to join the home had to go around the fire three times.

The hearth wide would not be put out in the past; instead, great care was taken to keep it going. The logs were therefore removed and the embers were carefully covered with ash. The fire would thus be kept smouldering during the night and could be got going again the following morning.

== Lighting the hearth on set days ==

The Christmas holiday coincides with the winter solstice. The rebirth of the sun is referred to in Basque as Eguberri (sun – sky – new) and Urtebarri (new year). Certain practices and beliefs around the household fire at Christmas are lined to the Christian festivity of the birth of Christ. Others seem to be related to the old solstice cults that spread throughout the areas of the early Indo-European Civilisation.

The belief that the hearth had a religious meaning and special virtues on Christmas Eve to mark the birth of Jesus was widespread as well.

Until the Liturgical Reform of the Easter Vigil in 1952, the Easter Saturday church services were held in the morning and began with the blessing of the new fire. A piece of burlap had to be used to light it with a flint spark for that fire to be “new”. That fire would be used to light the charcoal in the incense burner and its flames would be used to light the Easter candle.