Basque Christmas

Olentzero, says the Basque legend, is the charcoal burner who lives in the mountains where he makes charcoal.  

The beret and the worn and dirty clothes remind us that this man is a man of the forest and the mountains where he lives and works. 

Once a year, just before Christmas, he goes, with his sickle and his bouquet of gorse, to towns and villages to distribute coal (and not gifts) to the poor so that no one would suffer from the cold on Christmas night. Coal was then the symbol of the sun that will begin to heat the earth again after winter and its period of dormancy.

One might think that the main reason for seeing this charcoal burner descend into Basque villages on Christmas Eve is to announce the birth of Kixmi (Jesus), but Olentzero was a legend in the Basque Country long before the presence of Christianity. So, what message can he possibly bring us?

The message is that beyond what we cannot see... Beyond what we do not know... Beyond the cold, dark, harsh winter ahead and the unknown that looms... There is always a glimmer of hope to hold on to, a fire to keep us warm, guides to enlighten us on the mysteries of the world around us.