Numerous Basque communities (Basque houses) in Argentina this week they celebrate Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the holy founder of the Society of Jesus, born in the 16th century in Azpeitia, in the current autonomous community of the Basque Country (Spain).
In his memory, The Catholic Church celebrates July 31it is tradition to carry out various festive activities, with typical dances, meals and bomb attacks.
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In the case of the Basque community in the Buenos Aires city of Necochea, they anticipated the date with a dinner on Saturday, July 27, which included the visit of the Goizaldi traditional dance group, from San Sebastián.
Likewise, on the morning of July 31, as is tradition, the “joyful awakening” was held in Necochea, an event with a salvo of bombs and a greeting from the members of the Euzko Etxea Basque Center, who then brought floral offerings to the monument to Mariano Necochea, the founder of the city Ángel Ignacio Murga, and the sprout of the Gernika Tree present in the city.
In the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, the oldest parish in the city will celebrate its patron this Wednesday with a special visit: the Mass will be presided over by the Archbishop, Mons. Jorge García Cuerva, at 7:00 p.m.
In Cañuelas, where Saint Ignatius of Loyola is also the patron of the local Basque community, a Mass will be celebrated in his honor this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Nuestra Señora del Carmen parish.
On Sunday, August 4, at 1:00 p.m., the Denak Bat Basque Center will offer a lunch at its headquarters, with a display of Basque dances and a performance by the Euskal Etxea choir.
The Laurak Bat Basque Center, in the City of Buenos Aires, also organizes activities: this Wednesday there will be an open class for local dantzaris led by the Goizaldi group, and then there will be a dinner.
On Friday, August 2, at 7:30 p.m. there will be a pelota exhibition in different modalities: xare, women’s pelota and elite match.
On Saturday the 3rd, at 7:30 p.m., the Lagun Onak Choir will offer a concert in the Pedro de Basaldúa room.
On Sunday, August 4, the activities will begin at 12:00 p.m., with the presentation of a percussion show known as “La Tamborrada” and a dance exhibition in the fronton —where ball games are practiced—. Lunch will then be served in the Basaldúa room. The card has a value of $15,000 (drinks not included).
The Buenos Aires city of Arrecifes also celebrates San Ignacio with various activities. On Saturday from 5:00 p.m. there will be workshops on ceramics, txistu (vertical recorder with three holes), the traditional card game called “mus”, boot, and Basque – the language of the Basque Country. Starting at 9:00 p.m., the pilgrimage will begin in the Tavern.
On Sunday, August 4 at 10:30 a.m. the Mass will be offered in honor of San Ignacio in the San José de los Arrecifes parish, where the image of the saint is located. Once the celebration is over, there will be a dance show in Plaza Miter. Starting at 1:00 p.m., a great party will be offered in the hall and patio of La Vasca with food, typical dances, music and popular dancing.
In Rosario (Santa Fe), the Zazpirak Bat Center will celebrate the Saint of Loyola on Friday, August 2 at 9:00 p.m. with a dinner to benefit the Gaztedi Zutik dance group.
Juliet Villar
I am a journalist, with a degree in communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non-governmental organizations. Since 2016 I have been dedicated to Catholic journalism, first at the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as ACI Prensa correspondent for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.