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Our first true wake-up call came with Maritxu Kajoi at the beginning of October in Arrasate/Mondragón (Gipuzkoa). It is one of many annual traditional fiestas in the region, but since this one took place in our university town, the buzz had been going on for several weeks prior to the event.

Everywhere people were preparing and looking forward to Maritxu, and not only in the Arrasate area. On the night itself, even the bus station in Bilbao was packed with partygoers on their way to deepest Gipuzkoa.

Mary in a box

To clarify the big deal about Maritxu Kajoi, it is important to know about some of the event''s history: Based in Arrasate, Maritxu is always organised on the first Friday of October. The story goes that in days of old, the people of Arrasate would raise their glasses in honour of Maritxu, which means Little Mary. Although the local clergymen protested against it, the townspeople decided to create an official holiday to keep their tradition alive. In Arrasate''s town square, a small statue of the Virgin Mary hangs in a glass box on the church wall. Hence the official name of the fiesta: Little Mary in a Box or in Basque, Maritxu Kajoi.

From the looks of it, only a few people that attend the event really care about the background and tradition itself. It is more the partying and the dressing up that makes Maritxu popular among young people. Dressing up is a requirement: Elegant, classy, decadent, with girls in evening gowns and guys in tuxedos and everyone seemingly with a brand new haircut. Going out is going out, whether it’s outside or in, with casual clothing or haute couture. The cult that is being built around an event like this, that is what makes it extra special.

Everywhere, anywhere

Alot of these traditional Basque fiestas are held in honour of a local saint. In Arrasate it is Maritxu and the celebration lasts only one day, but in Durango (Bizkaia) for example, they worship San Fausto and are at it for more than a week! No matter where you live in Euskal Herria, there''s always a party going on nearby some time in the near future.

Of course, traditional celebrations require traditional drink in abundance, so whenever you go to one of these events, you will probably find the famous Kalimotxo (red wine mixed with cola) at rock-bottom prices. It is something we can only dream of in our home country, where prices tend to increase during special occasions.

So far so good for the traditional partying spirit but it’s not the only way to go. Any excuse, whether a saint, a concert or just an extraordinarily beautiful day, is enough to dance and drink into the night. Of course, my friends and I mostly mingle with the youth; the older generations may not be so outgoing, but it is still remarkable: They still display a lust for life that makes them a pleasure to be around.

Halloween

Take the recent Halloween-weekend for example. We never expected to see anyone celebrating it here, because it is mainly an American holiday and we hadn''t noticed a pre-Halloween vibe. But even here, though not to the same extent as on the other side of the Atlantic, it is starting to spread.

Children may not go trick-or-treating, but they do dress up in a variety of spooky costumes. It is a fun, relatively new celebration and there is no way it could skip this part of Europe. People were dressed up, bars were decorated with cobwebs and even in the colder autumn nights, everyone was still - as always - outside on the streets having a good time.

Remembering the joy

One can understand why living here as a foreign student for a number of months is quite amusing. You end up at so many different places and meet so many new faces that it''s hard to keep up, but in the end you have a good time. Bearing in mind that - in foreign countries - the Basque Country often appears in the news in a negative way, this is the image we prefer to carry home with us: Joyful people with a love for life and a passion for celebrating their traditions (and non-traditions).