The
Basque Country is a cross-border cultural region that has a distinctive
culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
including its own
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
, customs, festivals, and
music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
.
The
Basques
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
living in the territory are primarily represented by the symbol of the flag
Ikurriña
The flag of the Basque Country, also known as the ikurrina (in Basque)EuskaltzaindiaDictionary of the Standard Basque, retrieved 2010-10-04. or ikurriña ( Spanish spelling of the Basque term), is the official flag of the Basque Country Auton ...
, as well as the
Lauburu
The lauburu (from Basque ''lau'', "four" + ''buru'', "head") is an ancient swastika with four comma-shaped heads and the most widely known traditional symbol of the Basque Country and the Basque people. In the past, it has also been associated ...
cross and the
Zazpiak Bat
Zazpiak Bat is a heraldic nickname for the Basque coat of arms which includes the arms of the seven Basque provinces, stressing their unity. It was designed by the historian Jean de Jaurgain in 1897 for the ''Congrès et Fêtes de la Tradition ...
coat of arms. The ''
Gernikako Arbola
''Gernikako Arbola'' ('the Tree of Gernika' in Basque) is an oak tree that symbolizes traditional freedoms for the Biscayan people, and by extension for the Basque people as a whole.
It is located in Gernika, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain. ...
'' and the ''
Agur Jaunak'' are its most recognizable anthems in music, and the oak its most revered tree (cf. the aforementioned Tree of Gernika).
Despite their present conspicuous secularization, the Basques have been
Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
for centuries. However, they owe much of their religious festivals to ancestral beliefs and pagan sites, sometimes extending as late as the 15th century. Saint Miguel, Saint Mary, Saint John and Saint Peter are its most worshiped and ancient cults, while during the Modern period new saints came into being, notably
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basques, Basque Spaniard Priesthood in the Catholic Church, Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six compa ...
and
Saint Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus and, as a representative o ...
.
Language

The
traditional Basque districts are home to Basque, an
ergative language
The term ergative is used in grammar in three different meanings:
* Ergative case, the grammatical case of the subject of a transitive verb in an ergative-absolutive language
* Ergative–absolutive language, a language in which the subject of a ...
. However, Basque has showed a receding trend, and it is nowadays a minority language due mainly to political fragmentation, with higher usage intensity in
Biscay
Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
,
Gipuzkoa
Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...
, northern-western
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
, and western sub-Pyrenean areas of the
Pyrénées Atlantiques
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto.
F ...
.
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
and
French remain the most widely used everyday communication languages in their respective administrative districts, with the legal status of Basque varying depending on the area.
Basque medium education is provided for by the
Ikastola
An (, plural ) is a type of primary and secondary school in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and (to a much lesser extent) the French Basque Country (see Basque Country) in which pupils are taught either entirely or predominantly in the ...
Federation, and sometimes the public network. It is
the main linguistic option in the
Basque Autonomous Community
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous com ...
, while in some areas of the
French Basque Country
The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...
and
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
its presence is small. Town councils operating in Basque clustered around the consortium UEMA for mutual support and legal assistance.
Literature

Literature in the Basque Country may refer to the literature made in Basque, Spanish, and French. Basque, historically the primary language of the territory at either side of current French-Spanish border, was not prone to be written until the early Modern Period, aside some short poems (''Beotibarko gudua''), letters (between Navarrese high-ranking officials in the early 15th century), loose phrases, and notations. Stories and poems were transmitted down generations by oral tradition. The official Spanish and French languages were preferred (often compulsory) for written works starting in the 16th century. However, the coming of the printer allowed for the first glossy Basque literary sprouts to spring up (
Bernard Etxepare
Bernard Etxepare (pronounced ) was a Basque writer of the 16th century, most famous for a collection of poems titled ("First Fruits of the Basque Language") that he published in 1545, the first book to be published in the Basque language.
Spell ...
with ''Linguae vasconum primitiae'', 1545;
Joanes Leizarraga
Joanes Leizarraga (1506–1601) was a 16th-century Basque priest. He is most famous for being the first to attempt the standardisation of the Basque language and for the translation of religious works into Basque, in particular the first Basque tr ...
) in the mid-16th century.
The
Royal Basque Society fostered arts and literature in the late 18th century. Much of Basque literature was ''
costumbrismo
''Costumbrismo'' (in Catalan: ''costumisme''; sometimes anglicized as costumbrism, with the adjectival form costumbrist) is the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily in the Hispanic sce ...
'' literature (''Garoa'' by Txomin Agirre, 1912), or
Romantic historic novels like ''
Amaya o los vascos en el siglo VIII
''Amaya o los vascos en el siglo VIII'' (''Amaya, or the Basques in the 8th century'') is a Romanticism, Romantic historical novel published in 1877 (in the magazine ''Ciencia cristiana'') and in 1879 (as a book) by Francisco Navarro-Villoslada, ...
'' by Navarro Villoslada (1879) and, especially in Basque, often aimed at Catholic indoctrination up to the
Second Republic period, but plays, lyric poems in
bertso
Bertsolaritza or bertsolarism is the art of singing improvisation#Poetry, improvised songs in Basque language, Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed genera ...
metre (
Bilintx, Joan Batista Elizanburu, the
Lore Jokoak festivals), and press articles were also produced. Meanwhile, Spanish language writers started to stand out in the context of the
1898 crisis, figures such as
Unamuno and
Pio Baroja
Pio or PIO may refer to:
Places
* Pio Lake, Italy
* Pio Island, Solomon Islands
* Pio Point, Bird Island, south Atlantic Ocean
People
* Pio (given name)
* Pio (surname)
* Pio (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer
* Pio (footballer, born 1 ...
(''El árbol de la ciencia'', 1911), hailing from urban areas like Bilbao and Donostia.
After the barren postwar years, a new generation set an innovative trend along the lines of contemporary European literature, authors like
Txillardegi (influenced by existentialism),
Ramon Saizarbitoria,
Gabriel Aresti
Gabriel Aresti Segurola (October 14, 1933 – June 5, 1975) was one of the most important writers and poets in the Basque language in the 20th century.
He grew up in Bilbao, which was a Spanish-speaking environment. Although his father talked to ...
in Basque, or works in Spanish like ''
Tiempo de silencio'', as well as
Ignacio Aldecoa and Blas de Otero (''Pido la paz y la palabra'', 1955 (1975)) with their social realism. A committed literature approach appeared unavoidable in the social and political context of Franco's dictatorship. However, the trend towards diversification in genres and styles was confirmed during the 80s and 90s with the emergence of regional editorial houses, and authors as diverse as
Joseba Sarrionandia
Joseba Sarrionandia Uribelarrea (Iurreta, Biscay, April 13, 1958) is a Basque writer who has published a large number of books of poetry and short stories, as well as novels. He has been awarded on numerous occasions for his work, and is nowadays ...
(''Ni ez naiz hemengoa'', 1985),
Bernardo Atxaga
Bernardo Atxaga (born 27 July 1951), pseudonym of Joseba Irazu Garmendia, is a Spanish Basque writer and self-translator.
He is a full member of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language since 2006, in November 2010, he was also named a member ...
(''Obabakoak'', 1988), Pako Aristi, Aingeru Epalza (in Basque), or
Toti Martinez de Lezea, Miguel Sanchez Ostiz and
Espido Freire in Spanish. In the 90s and on into the 2000s,
Marie Darrieussecq
Marie Darrieussecq (; born 3 January 1969, Bayonne) is a French writer. She is also a translator, and has practised as a psychoanalyst.
Her books explore the unspoken and abandoned territories in literature. Her work is dense, marked by a consta ...
from Bayonne should be highlighted in French language literature.
Music

Music in the Basque Country has evolved from its historic characteristic instruments (
txistu
The txistu () is a kind of fipple flute that became a symbol for the Basque folk revival. The name may stem from the general Basque word ''ziztu'' "to whistle" with palatalisation of the ''z'' (cf ''zalaparta'' > ''txalaparta''). This three-hol ...
,
xirula
The xirula (, spelled ''chiroula'' in French, also pronounced ''txirula'', ''(t)xülüla'' in Zuberoan Basque; Gascon: ''flabuta''; French: ''galoubet'') is a small three holed woodwind instrument or flute usually made of wood akin to the Basqu ...
,
trikitixa
The trikiti (standard Basque, pronounced ) trikitixa ( dialectal Basque, pronounced ), or eskusoinu txiki ("little hand-sound", pronounced )) is a two-row Basque diatonic button accordion with right-hand rows keyed a fifth apart and twelve uni ...
, etc.) and singing traditions to include a whole range of musical options in step with a modern European context. Popular tunes have been closely related to the ''
bertso
Bertsolaritza or bertsolarism is the art of singing improvisation#Poetry, improvised songs in Basque language, Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed genera ...
'' tradition, but the tunes used are often variations of a common European folk music heritage. The coming of the Enlightenment and the
Royal Basque Society saw attempts of establishing an upper status music, e.g. bringing more dignity to the txistu, and technically developing it.
This trend toward a more sophisticated music catering to the upper classes saw its heyday in the early 20th century, with acclaimed composers like
Jesus Guridi or
Jose Maria Usandizaga (who held friendship ties with the French Basque
Maurice Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...
), featuring Basque topic
zarzuela
() is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...
s, operas, and operettas. In the run-up to the golden age of the opera theatres (Victoria Eugenia, Teatro Gayarre, Teatro Arriaga), among individual singers,
Julián Gayarre
Sebastián Julián Gayarre Garjón (9 January 1844 in Roncal, Navarre, Spain – 2 January 1890 in Madrid, Spain), better known as Julián Gayarre, was a Spanish opera singer who created the role of Marcello in Donizetti's '' Il Duca d'Alba'' ...
from
Roncal struck a chord in the opera scene. Local choirs and ''ochotes'' also developed. This is a period of strong influence of the ''costumbrismo'' and overall nationalist motifs.
In the early 1960s, the seeds of the Basque music revival were sown at either side of the French-Spanish border with new young figures eager to sing their ideals (Mixel Labeguerie,
Benito Lertxundi
Benito Lertxundi is a Basque singer-songwriter born in Orio, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country in 1942. He is an acclaimed and veteran figure in Basque music, who spearheaded with other key figures its revival in the 1960s and following years, showing a ...
, etc.), incorporating the guitar as musical instrument. Radio and television (ever more local) provided the springboard for numerous groups, and in the early 80s punk music saw a surge in the
Southern Basque Country
The Southern Basque Country (; ) refers to the Basque territories southside of the Pyrenees, within the Iberian Peninsula.
Name
In Basque language, known as '' Euskera'', natives have referred to the Basque districts as ''Euskal Herria(k)''.
...
, crystallizing in a strong musical movement (''
Basque Radical Rock''). Basque traditional music has come to integrate new influences and technical innovations (Tapia eta Leturia,
Kepa Junkera
Kepa Junkera Urraza (born 1965 in Bilbao, Basque Country (autonomous community), Euskadi, Spain) is a Basque people, Basque musician and composer. A master of the trikitixa, the diatonic accordion, he has recorded more than 10 albums. , etc.), while many pop-rock bands have confirmed their own paths and even go international, groups as diverse as
Allmusic ...
, etc.), while many pop-rock bands have confirmed their own paths and even go international, groups as diverse as Gatibu, Barricada">Gatibu">Allmusic ...