The Basque way of life: txokos, poteo, fiestas and feel-good traditions

What makes Basque wellbeing: gastronomic societies (txokos), poteo with friends, the cuadrilla, bertsolaris, rural sports (herri kirolak) and village fiestas.

In the Basque Country, wellbeing is not just about spas: it is also a way of living together. Shared tables, drinks with friends, improvised song, feats of strength: here are the traditions that set the rhythm of Basque life.

The txoko, the gastronomic society

The txoko (‘cosy little corner’ in Basque) is a gastronomic society: a shared clubhouse where friends meet to do the cooking themselves, eat, drink, sing and talk.

Origins: these societies emerged in the mid-19th century in San Sebastián (Donostia), when workers who used to meet in cider houses and taverns set up ‘popular societies’ to get round closing times. The oldest still in operation, Unión Artesana, dates from 1870.
How it works: a txoko often has up to 80 members. It is the members who cook, not staff. And everything is based on trust: before leaving, everyone notes down what they have had and pays accordingly.
Under Franco, the txokos, whose rules banned political discussion, were one of the few places where people could speak and sing in Basque.
And women? Traditionally, the rules barred them from cooking, and less often from entering. Today, they can generally go in and eat, but many societies still do not let them cook: each society sets its own rules.

Poteo, or txikiteo

Poteo (or txikiteo) means going from bar to bar with friends, having a small drink in each, often with a pintxo. The word comes from pote, the thick glass of days gone by; the txikito was a small glass of wine that cost a perra chica (a small coin). Once the preserve of men, it is now enjoyed by everyone. In Bilbao, it is in full swing on Thursday and Friday evenings. To join in: our pintxos crawl in Donostia.

Bertsolaritza, improvised poetry

The bertso is an improvised song in verse, rhymed and in stanzas, performed by bertsolaris in front of an audience, on set themes. The tradition goes back to the 18th century; as early as 1851, the Floral Games (Jeux floraux) in Urrugne held a bertso competition. The great championship, the Bertsolari Txapelketa Nagusia, takes place every four years. In France, bertsolaritza has been on the inventory of intangible cultural heritage since 2022.

Basque strength sports (herri kirolak)

Basque rural sports grew out of farm work turned into contests, often with bets riding on them:

aizkolaris, who chop through logs with an axe,
harrijasotzaileak, stone lifters,
soka-tira, tug of war,
segalaris, scythe mowers,
and many more (log sawing, carrying weights, stone dragging).

Fiestas, the heart of Basque life

Every town and village has its fiestas: the Fêtes de Bayonne (Baiona), the San Fermines in Pamplona (Iruñea), the Virgen Blanca fiestas in Vitoria-Gasteiz… Expect music, dancing, pelota (see our guide to pelota) and, of course, good food.

Sources

Ongi etorri!