Herri Urrats (Basque for 'a people's step') is an annual festival held the second Sunday of May to reach out to the '' ikastolak'' ('Basque language schools') in the
Northern Basque Country
The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. In the
Southern Basque Country
The Southern Basque Country ( eu, Hegoalde, Hego Euskal Herria; es, Hegoalde, País Vasco y Navarra, País Vasco peninsular) is a term used to refer to the Basque territories within Spain as a unified whole.
Name
In Basque language, natives h ...
(
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
), Basque is taught in all public schools, but in the French Basque Country, students wishing to be taught in Basque must attend an ''ikastola school''.
History
The first festival was held in 1984 in the town of
Lac de Sain-Pée . The small town has come to be renowned for its regular Herri Urrats celebration, which remains one of the largest of its kind. Herri Urrats consists basically of a walk around the Saint-Pée lake. The circuit laid out around an artificial lake is dotted with food stands and entertainment all along. Walkers sometimes march in support of an organization.
Its first edition was attended by five thousand people, but in later years the attendance has risen as high as seventy thousand. In 2011, the money collected was used to fund the Kanbo Xalbador Ikastola. The funds collected provide financial support to the Basque schools across the three traditional provinces of Iparralde (
French Basque Country
The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...
Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre ( eu, Nafarroa Beherea/Baxenabarre; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; french: Basse-Navarre ; es, Baja Navarra) is a traditional region of the present-day French ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the ...
and Zuberoa. Contributions of participants and popular subscription have helped build twenty-five ikastolas, three primary schools, and one secondary school. The festival also celebrates
Basque
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 co ...
culture and language.
World celebration
Herri Urrats is celebrated in many major cities the world over, including
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
and
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...