Índice de contenidos

I. BIRTH. JAIOTZA

Childhood beliefs about where children come from

• The stork. Paris

• Brought by the midwife or the doctor

• Zerutik ekarriak

• Found in nearby settings

• Bought

Labour. Erditzea

• From home to hospital births

• Helpers during labour

• • The midwife
  • The doctor

• Labour

• • Everyday life prior to labour
  • The position when giving birth
  • The action of giving birth

• • • Preparations
    • Labour
    • Delivery
    • Labour alone

• • The placenta and umbilical cord

• Caring for the postpartum mother

• Feeding the mother after giving birth

• • Diet and convalescence period
  • Harmful and beneficial food

Looking after the newborn

• First care

• Checking the child

• • Head
  • Straightening the nose
  • Ears

• Swaddling babies

• Precautions taken

Breastfeeding

• Nursing

• Wet-nurses

• Dangers for the nursing mother. "Getting hairy"

• Extending breastfeeding

• Breastfeeding today

• Start of normal feeding

Burial of unbaptized infants

• Under the eaves of the house

• In the vegetable garden

• In the limbo of the cemetery

• Lack of coffin

• People attending the burial

 

II. BELIEFS RELATED TO THE BIRTH

Guessing the sex of the child

• Shape of the mother's belly

• Signs in the face of the mother. Blanket

• Course of the pregnancy

• First step of the pregnant mother

• Moon phase influence in conception

• Divination procedures

Pre-baptismal precautionsa

• Not kissing the newborn

• Charms

• Holy water

• Religious charms

• Medals and other religious items

• Curing the evil eye

 

III. BAPTISM. BATAIOA

People attending the baptism

• Baptism apparel

• Holder of the child

• Ritual entourage

Old baptism ritual

• On entering the church

• Way to the baptistery

• In the baptistery

Hospitality to mark the baptism

• Refreshments for the entourage (Alava. Bizkaia. Gipuzkoa. Northern Basque Country (lying within France). Navarra)

• Arrebuchas ritual where the godparents throw sweets and coins (Navarra. Alava. Bizkaia. Gipuzkoa. Northern Basque Country)

Godparenthood

• Undertaking of the godparents

• Spiritual kinship and affinity

• Choice of godparents

• Offering to be a godparent

• The right to be a godparent

• Sole godparent

• Proxy godparents

• Random godparents

• Names of godparents and godchildren

Gifts from the godparents

• Christmas and Easter presents

 

IV. POSTPARTUM PERIOD

Requirements during the postpartum period

• Using cloth pads as protection

Blessing the mother

• The Purification of the Virgin Mary as the archetype

• Names

• Length of the postpartum quarantine

• Churching ritual

 

V. EARLY CHILDHOOD. HAURTZAROA

The cradle. Sehaska

• Wooden cradles

• Wicker cradles: Moses basket

• Cots

• Substitute cradles. The half bushel

• Cradle mattress and linen

• Rocking the cradle

• Making the cradle

• More recent cradles

Looking after the child

• Taking the baby for a stroll in the past

• The first outings

• Traditional ways for carrying the child

• People looking after the child

• • The women of the household
  • Babysitters
  • Nursemaids

• Taking the child for a walk nowadays

Childhood development milestones

• The first steps

• • Learning implements. Baby walker
  • Popular beliefs

• Infant babbling

• • Helping to start talking
  • Popular beliefs

• Cutting the first teeth

• Losing baby teeth

• • Tooth, baby tooth
  • Gift for lost tooth

The anniversary of the birth

• Birthday

• Birthday presents

 

VI. CHILDHOOD AND PUBERTY

Attending school

• Ordinary school starting age

• Starting school late

• Early school starting age

• Truancy

First Communion

• Private communion and high mass communion

• First Communion alone

• Dates of holding the First Communion

• Rito de paso a la adolescencia. Orain gizon egin zara

• First Communion dresses

• • Former attire
  • First Communion suit

• First Communion reception

• • Hot chocolate breakfast
  • Family refreshments
  • The First Communion reception today

• First Communion presents

• • Collecting in the neighbourhood
  • Communion gifts today

Confirmation

• Confirmation, rite of entry into youth

• Celebration of the Confirmation

• Confirmation in the past

• • The pastoral visit
  • Confirmation at an indeterminate age
  • Farcical formulas of the Confirmation

Housework done by children

• Initiating children in housework

• Common tasks for boys and girls

• Jobs entrusted to girls

• • Urzayas

• Jobs done by boys

• Children's chores today

 

VII. YOUTH

The mocería youth association

• Mocerías in Alava

• • Mocerías at the turn of the century

• Mocerías in Navarra

• Communal activities of young people in other parts of the Basque Country

Outfits and headwear

• Dancing. Dantza

• Start age

• Dance venues: the square

• Dance times

• Dance classes

• • Dancing alone
  • Partner dances

• Starting and ending the dance

• • The bastonero (dance master)

• Organisation of the dance

• Start of the dance and pairing

• Musical instruments

• • Instruments from the past

• • • Trikitrixa and accordion
    • Txistu and drum, bagpipes and dulzaina double reed instrument
    • Dance orchestras and municipal bands

• • Modern instruments

• Dancing during pilgrimages and patron saint's festivities

• Private dances

• • Casinos, societies and social circles
  • Dance parties
  • Discotheques and night clubs

• Restrictions on freedom to dance

• • Coercion of conscience
  • Reproaching the congregants
  • Lent and mourning

• Contemporary transitions

Compulsory military service

• Departure of the quintos (conscripts)

• Conscript celebrations

Youth religious associations

• Congregation of the Daughters of Mary

• Congregation of San Luis Gonzaga

• Other youth associations

 

VIII. START OF THE LOVE RELATIONSHIP

Meeting places and opportunities

• Meeting points in the past

• • When working
  • The fountain
  • At the end of religious ceremonies

• Dances

• Accompanying the girl home

• Walking out

Courting dances and wooing of young women

• Night courting dances

• St. Agatha courting dance

• St. John courting dance

• Wooing

Taking the lead in relations

• Matchmaking

• • Friends or relatives
  • Matchmakers

• Marriages arranged by the parents

• • Matches guided by economic interests
  • Calling
  • Arranged liaisons

• Parental pressure ending the courtship

 

IX. COURTSHIP

Ways of proposing

• Exchanging objects

Formalising the courtship

• Value of the courtship and its ending

• Sweethearts meeting

• • Meeting place
  • Meeting days

Realm of the courtship

• Intermarriage

• Local inbreeding

• Levy on a groom from another area

 

X. MARRIAGE SETTLEMENTS

Marriage settlements

> ALAVA

• The mandas or marriage settlement

• Contents of the settlements

• Entering into the settlements

> BIZKAIA

• Marriage settlements

• Contents of the settlements

• Kontratuko bazkaria

> GIPUZKOA

• The entailed estate

• Contents of the settlements

• Entering into the settlements

> NORTHERN BASQUE COUNTRY

• The marriage contract

• Contents of the settlements

• Kontratuko apairua

> NAVARRA

• Marriage settlements

• Contents of the settlements

• Entering into the settlements

Marriage settlements at the turn of the century

• The marriage contract

• Contents of the settlements

• • As regards the people
  • As regards the goods

The dowry

> ALAVA

• The dowry

• Consequences of a rupture

> BIZKAIA

• The dowry

• Consequences of a rupture

> GIPUZKOA

• The dowry

• Consequences of a rupture

> NORTHERN BASQUE COUNTRY

• The dowry

• Consequences of a rupture

> NAVARRA

• The dowry

• Consequences of a rupture

Dowry at the turn of the century

• Contents of the dowry

• Setting up the dowry

• • Handing over the dowry
  • Compensation in case of rupture

 

XI. WEDDING ARRANGEMENTS

Banns

• Publication of the banns

• Customs during the banns of marriage period

• • Congratulating
  • Bota-eguna

• Ballads to the bride and groom

Stag/hen party

• Celebration in the past

• The stag/hen party today

Padrinos or wedding sponsors

• Choice of the wedding sponsors

• Obligations of the wedding sponsors

Wedding invitations

• Increase in the number of guests

• Sending out the invitations

Wedding gifts

• Gifts between the bride and groom

• Gifts from the guests

 

XII. THE WEDDING

Time and place of the marriage

• Weddings within the year

• Mourning wedding

• Dates and times held

• Venue

• Decoration of the church

• Music and songs during the ceremony

The wedding entourage

• The wedding entourage in the Southern Basque Country (lying within Spain)

• The wedding entourage in the Northern Basque Country

• • Symbolic levy on a groom from another area

• The wedding entourage today

• Indumentaria de los asistentes a la boda

• • El vestido de la novia

• • • Hasta mediados de la centuria
    • Generalización del traje blanco
    • Tocados y adornos
    • Luto

• • El traje del novio
  • Indumentaria de los invitados

La ceremonia religiosa. Eliz-ezkontza

• En el pórtico del templo

• • El casamiento
  • Bendición de arras y anillos. Diruak eta eraztunak

• En la iglesia

• • Misa de velaciones

• La ceremonia religiosa actual

• Acta del matrimonio

• Ofrenda del ramo de la novia

Matrimonio civil. Ezkontza zibila

• Ceremonia

• Valoración actual del matrimonio civil

• • Frecuencia de matrimonios civiles

 

XIII. ENTRADA EN EL DOMICILIO CONYUGAL. ETXE-SARTZEA

El arreo y el carro de boda. Eztai-gurdia

• El carro de boda en los textos etnográficos antiguos

• El carro de boda en la encuesta Etniker

• Otras formas de transportar el arreo

 

XIV. EL BANQUETE DE BODAS. EZTEIAK

Duración de las celebraciones de boda

• Celebraciones de más de dos días

• Celebraciones de dos días

• Celebraciones de un solo día

Grandes banquetes

• Lugares de celebración

• • Banquetes domésticos
  • Banquetes fuera de casa

• Preparación de los locales

• Elaboración de platos y servicio

• Pago del banquete

• Composición del banquete

• Disposición de los invitados en la mesa

• • Bodas domésticas
  • Bodas fuera de casa

• Ritos observados en el banquete de boda

• • Ritos al inicio del banquete
  • Ritos durante el banquete
  • Baile
  • Cantos
  • Obsequios a los asistentes

• Otras costumbres relacionadas con el banquete nupcial

 

XV. OFRENDA POSTNUPCIAL Y TORNABODA

Viaje de novios

• Partida de los novios

• Viajes de corta duración

• Visitas a familiares

• Viajes de larga duración

Ofrenda postnupcial

• Ofrendas funerarias propter nuptias. Eleiz hartzea

• • Gipuzkoa
  • Bizkaia
  • Alava
  • Navarra
  • Vasconia continental

• Transiciones contemporáneas

Apéndice: Descripciones de bodas en los distintos territorios de Vasconia

• La noce au Pays de Soule aux années 20

• Gipuzkoako Elosuan 1932.ean egin ziren ezkontza-eztei batzuen berri

• Una boda en la localidad labortana de Sara en 1943

• Una boda en la localidad alavesa de Moreda en 1991

• Bizkaiko Ajangizen 1993.ean egin ziran ezkontza-eztegu batzuren barri

 

XVI. SOLTERIA Y CELIBATO. CASAMIENTO DE VIUDOS Y VIEJOS

La soltería

• Causas de la soltería

• Resistencia al modo de vida rural

• Integración de los solteros en la casa

• Consideración social de los solteros

• Matrimonio y procreación

El celibato religioso

• Rito de profesión religiosa

• La carrera sacerdotal

Casamiento de viudos y viejos

• Cencerradas, tzintzarrotsak, galarrosak

• • País Vasco continental
  • Gipuzkoa
  • Bizkaia
  • Alava
  • Navarra

• Reacción ante las cencerradas

• Prohibiciones civiles y eclesiásticas

 

XVII. UNIONES LIBRES E HIJOS NATURALES

Uniones libres

• Frecuencia y aceptación

• Recursos para soslayar la presión social

Hijos naturales

• Bautizo

• Destino de los niños