Ihintza

About Ihintza the 20 / 12 / 2023

Reading time: 2 min

He is a character who returns every winter, for the Christmas period. He has a blackened face and wears worn and dirty clothes, which makes him somewhat terrifying. Become a cult character in Basque culture, but who is Olentzero really? Where is he from ? What is his role ?

Light bearer

Olentzero is a character from ancestral Basque tradition. In mythology, he would be the personification of the winter solstice. According to legend, every winter, he comes down from the mountain to announce the arrival of better days and distribute coal to the villagers.

Its history is linked to the cycle of nature. Its coal symbolizes sleeping nature and scrupulously ensures that the embers remain alive so that the sun never dies and reappears at the end of winter.
Olentzero is therefore a messenger of hope: day has won the battle against night, spring is approaching! Its arrival is synonymous with collective celebration to celebrate the return of the sun.

Olentzero VS Santa

The winter solstice ceremony takes place at Christmas time (generally from December 21 with the lengthening of the days), Olentzero has, over time, been integrated into the Christian religious tradition of Christmas. Wrongly, he is too often considered the “Basque Santa Claus”, herald of the birth of Christ.
However, unlike Santa Claus, Olentzero does not bring gifts but he is the speaker of good news. It induces an exchange; while he brings the message of the lengthening of the days, children and adults pay homage to him by offering songs. As a result, the arrival of Olentzero is a common celebration, a moment of exchange, sharing and social bonding.

Meeting Olentzero

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Olentzero in person! You're lucky, we know his background:
22/12: Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry (17:30 p.m.) and Ciboure (18 p.m.)
23/12: Mauléon-Licharre (10:30 a.m.) and Sare (16 p.m.)
24/12: Hendaye (16:30 p.m.)
28/12: Saint-Jean-de-Luz (17:30 p.m.)

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