As a mentioned, the Basque Country section was more vintage
Folklife the way I like it. Cultural performances, lots of Traditional
Artisans, and open Kitchen with food demonstrations, interactive activities for
children, a dance hall, food and lots of informational placards to educate and
make sense of the lay of the land.
I know very little about Basque culture and so I also found
it particularly enlightening. One thing I did notice--no women! I've never been
to a festival where I didn't see any women in the role of artisans. Granted,
there were two displays where no one was present, one was a pottery display and
other featured a loom, so it's possible there were women, but they were on a break.
What I didn't get a picture of here were the giant bells
attached to the men's backs creating a cacophonous raucous as they marched.
The entire costume was such a colorful and odd mix of
components.
The cooking display comes with an over surface mirror so you
can watch the techniques. He was making a dish with squid and squid mushrooms.
The format sometimes includes a translator like the
gentleman on the right. Unfortunately, read the sign, you can't eat it.
Amazing stone carver.
CHEESE, Gromet!
The artisan cheese-maker explains the process to his
translator...
These two had great chemistry.
Then the translator explained the process to the guests.
A large area dedicated to various aspects of shipbuilding.
The craftsperson was willing to even give out his personal
contact information to a local boat builder.
Having the chance to interact with the artisans is a
hallmark of the festival.
Operating a trundle driven lathe.
There were a lot of displays of local sports and traditional
games.
This structure was set up with a couple of sporting
activities and the other side was a little arena for sport demonstrations.
A Bola-Jokoa rink.
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