Types of Leisure Programmes

Reno Basque Festival

Comprises of singing, dancing, contests, crafts, food and parade walking along the downtown of Reno. The unique event will be the delicious barbeque session. In addition, get to enjoy traditional tasty Basque dishes. 

Tamborradas

Every year of 20^th January, people will have the greatest opportunity to get to hear the sound of thousands of beating drums, all day and all night.

Bonfires of San Juan

In order to mark San Juan Eguna, the feast of St. John the Baptist, which marks the Basque Summer Solstice, celebration that is usually held on June 24^th in the beach with giant cardboard, wood and paper maché effigies are burnt to the ground with drinks and food and friends.

Santo Tomas

Held on the 21^st Decemeber annually, to celebrate the long-waited Christmas holidays of Bilbao.

Best turkeys, capons, fruits and vegetables from farmhouses of Vizcaya are displayed with more than 300 stalls being set up betweenEl Arenal and Plaza Nueva.

Mode of Education

Early Days

During primary school period, there are a majority of native speaking Basque children as well as children from south of the Franco-Spanish border attending the schools in Basque. 

However, Spanish is a compulsory language subject from age 6 years old and in addition, English is essential. If it is an academically oriented secondary school, majority will be Basque medium, as goes for the non-native, French speakers of Basques.

Not every children will manage to advance themselves into a university level in Basque, however, subjects opportunities are on the rise.

The Basque education system has provided a compulsory education free of charge from ages 6 to 16 years old. Education structure comprises of three levels which are the Primary (up to age 12), Secondary (up to 16), further education such as the vocational training for the extension to the university, polytechnic, higher vocational trainings and college studies. 

Currently, there are four universities, with a total number of 28 faculties or colleges, 3 higher technical colleges and 11 university colleges.

Their Languages

Language

The Basque language can be regarded as the extinct language due to the separation between Basque and the Spanish culture and is spoken by about 660,000 people. 

Castilian Spanish is used by the mass (Spanish) and majority of the people in the Basque could speak fluently. Some could not speak were from the older generation and living in the remote area.

There are various kinds of dialects that are spoken by the Basques people such as the Western Dialect, the Central Dialect, Navarrese, Navarrese-Lapurdian and the Souletin.

Today, the Basque people holds co-official language status in the Basque regions of Spain, the full autonomous community of the Basque Country and some parts of Navarre.

Despite the Besque country has a small population and not being a modern nation state, their unique language was still managed to be preserved up till this day.