Inaugurated in 1916, today it continues having a health of iron and a promising future thanks to the evolution and adjustment to the market that that has been realized. The season of the Racetrack of San Sebastian consists also of other 11 days of races, distributed in July, August and September. In addition, its facilities have been chosen among the best European racetracks for the dispute of the prestigious French prize Le Defí Du Gallop.

94 summer season of the Racetrack of San Sebastian will rely on 12 different tournaments among which we can find the 41st  edition of the Copa de Oro, which will be supported by the Cultural Candidacy Donostia 2016 and the Great Prize San Sebastian, the 12th on Sunday and will extend until September 5th.

As innovation of this edition,on thursday, the 20th and 27th the entry to the Racetrack will be free in order that the whole world could enjoy of one evening in the horses, as alternative plan in summer. In addition, the rest of the days will be kept the prices of last year, of 6 Euros in July and September and of 9 Euros in August, with a discount of 50 per cent for young people and pensioners, and admission free to 14-year-old minors.

Donosti Cup is a championship of international football that is celebrated in summer in the Basque locality of Donostia-San Sebastian aimed to children of all the ages and nationalities. Placed at the top of the nacional summer tournaments, in 2008 it celebrated its 17 ª edition with the participation of 241 masculine and feminine teams and 4.500 football players. The Donosti Cup constitutes a space of meeting for multiple and different cultures, favoring the learning, the mutual knowledge and the exchange of experiences among children and girls of numerous countrie

The Donosti Cup 2009 will rely on 258 teams of 16 countries, this year will be a very special edition since beside fulfilling the adult age, the tournament receives the Golden drum 2009 prize and  for the third year in a row with UNICEF’s National Prize, that there will be granted to the team that demonstrates major identification with the positive values of the sport and of the football. This summer is the best second year in number of teams participants. The competition will rely on a whole of 258 teams of half a world, represented by 16 countries: Germany, Belgium, Spain, The United States, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, United Kingdom, Sweden and Venezuela. Also the presence of Morocco stands out, after four years of absence and the participation of the Olympiacos.

This is the program of the Donosti Cup 2009:

• Sunday, 5th July.
  Arrival and withdrawal of documentation.
  Dinner and housing.
• Monday, 6th July.
  Games 1st Phase.
  Ceremony of Inauguration.
• Tuesday,7th July.
  Games 1st Phase.
• Wednesday, 8th July.
  Games 1st Phase.
• Thursday, 9th July.
  Eliminating final phase.
  Trainers’ game.
  Donosti Cup Disco (Palace of the ice “Txuri Urdin”)
• Friday, 10th July.
  Absolute finals B10, B12 and G12 (Anoeta’s Ministadium).
  Absolute finals B13, B14, G14 and G16 (Anoeta’s Stadium).
  Ends of Consolation games. Participants’ party (Terrace of the Kursaal).
  Dinner of Closing.
  Delegates’ party
• Saturday, 11th July.
  Absolute finals B15, B16, B19 and G (Anoeta’s Stadium).
  Farewell.

The Aurresku, the bonfire and Gatibu’s concert will be the main acts of the first day of the celebration. The natives of Irun will return to begin to the streets to live the beginning of the parties of San Pedro and San Marcial, which will start officially on June 23, 2009 at 20.00 hours, with the proclamation that there will read in the Town hall the journalist Lourdes Maldonado. A bit before this, at 19.00 hours, the traditional Tree of San Juan will be placed and at 19.30 hours, the giants will divide and pigheaded of Irungo Atsegiña and Bidasoako Txaranga, to encourage the streets before the official greeting at the expense of Maldonado, with which there will begin of more solemn form the celebration of San Pedro and San Marcial. From this moment they begin an endless number of activities that do not stop until July 1.

A bit of history

The parade of weapon that celebrates in Irun  called “Alarde” every June 30, day of San Marcial, the patron saint of the city, is the commemoration of the victory of the native troops on the Frenches during the dawn of June 30, 1522. The battle, which took place in Aldabe Irun’s Rock, formed a part of a series of French offensives which aim was to control the frontier zone of the Bidasoa.

France was trying to recover the Kingdom of Navarre conquered by Fernando I and annexed to the Wreath of Castilla. The French king, Francisco I, was not ready to resign the control that till then was supporting in Navarre, with this aim, the French troops, after a series of unsuccessful incursions they decided to surround the former kingdom, taking the fortress of the loyal troops to Castilla. The incursions began in October, 1521, but it was not until June 28, 1522 when an army of 4.500 mercenaries (labortanos and Germans) crossed the river Bidasoa and took positions in the mount that till then was known as Aldabe’s Rock, getting this name for an existing hamlet in the place. The following day, on June 29, day of San Pedro and San Paul, the German quota got hold of Gazteluzar’s fortress. Opposite to this aggression, the captains iruneses, Juan Perez de Azcue and Michael de Ambulodi, supervised by the troops, summoned all the eligible males for the war, only 400 men.

On the other hand, the role of the women and the children iruneses was fundamental. The clergyman of Renteria, Mosén Pedro of Hirizar, neighbor of the mentioned villa and that had the office of ” holder of bastimientos “, bought and distributed more than four hundred ” axes of wood ” among the women and the young boys of the city with the aim that they were walking, silently and with the axes burning, during a league, from the top of the Royal Way at the time, which was dividing the ways of Oiartzun and Renteria, up to Irun’s square, making believe to the enemy that the soldiers were assembled in Irun’s zone and not advancing was doing to Aldabe’s Rock.

While women and children were walking along the Royal Way, the troops, with the help of the General Captain of Gipuzkoa, Beltrán de la Cueva, who came to the battle with part of his infantry, 1.500 men, and 150 horses, were advancing slowly and secretly for the opposite side, surprising first to the forces labortanas that they were sleeping in the mount and then to the Germans in Gazteluzar. The German surviving soldiers ran to the meeting of the labortanos, ignoring the happened in Aldabe’s Rock, and were in turn depressed.

The ostentations of weapon have a medieval origin, was forming in this epoch escorts armed as special ornament in public ceremonies of civic - religious sign. The function of these armed, existing militias in the whole Europe, was it of honoring dates as the popular holidays, celebrated the days of San Juan Baptizer and San Pedro or that of the Corpus-Christi, among others. When after the wars Carlists eliminate the ordinances that were forcing to the ostentations of weapon, these they went on to the popular culture supporting the presence of troops of military character in celebrations and pilgrimages.

In the Basque Country, from the Middle Ages, in agreement with the jurisdictions that were governing the territory, every village had the faculty and the obligation to be organized militarily, forming a part of its statutory militias all the males in ages included between the 18 and 60 years. To come in defense of the territory they must be prepared militarily and have his armament ready for when his contest was needed; to such a purpose, from time to time and in notable dates, the males had to come with their weapons to the summons to train in its managing and to take part in the ostentation or parade that was celebrated. After the accomplishment of the ostentation of weapon there was sent certificate of the accomplishment of the same one to the Deputation, maxim responsible for the of Guipuzcoa weapon. Attending to this it makes clear that its origin in the ostentation of weapon of the day of San Pedro, civic, obligatory act, which was celebrated in the whole province. Therefore inside San Marcial’s Ostentation we find two differentiated acts: the magazine of weapon, of civic and obligatory character, and San Marcial’s procession with armed countrymen, a purely religious act of devotion, which already was realized in 1523, being Lope de Irigoyen, mayor of Irun, who took part in the battle of Aldabe’s Rock, the one who headed the first ostentation.

Therefore, though historically they could find references to the accomplishment of an ostentation of weapon in Irun before 1880 together with the fulfillment of the vote to San Marcial for the victory of 1522, everything seems to indicate that the stage posterior to the Second War Carlist (1872-1876) is the moment in which the first steps are begun to give for the evolution of these acts towards San Marcial’s Ostentation that today we know. For centuries the ostentation of weapon was celebrated the day of San Pedro, June 29, and to the díasiguiente San Marcial’s procession, being a 1804 the year of the unification of the ostentation and the vote emitted by the chapters ecclesiastically and secular, beginning a process of change in the festivity on having joined procession and ostentation in the same day.

Acts distinguished from the San Marciales 2009

On June 25, Thursday:

* At 22:00: In the fronton of the Street Santiago, Trikitixa’s Concert and Percussion at the expense of Txorimaloak Soinu Taldea. In case of badly time the activity will move to the AMAIA K.Z.
On June 26, Friday:

* At 18:30: In the fronton Uranzu, 57th Championship Kurpil Kirolak Ball to Hand Made keen organized by the Society of Ball Kurpil Kirolak. Free entry

* At 22:00: In the fronton of the Street Santiago, Dantza performance of the group Kemen Dantza Taldea. In case of badly time the activity will move to the AMAIA .KZ.

On June 27, Saturday:

* At 10:00: In the facilities of Wave Sagardotegia, Euskal Herriko Hitz Geziduen Txapelketa, organized by Xedera Hitza Jokoak, S.L.

* At 18:00: In the Anzaran’ square , performance of the Majorrettes de San Vicente de Paul, later they will cross diverse streets of the city.

* At 18:00: From the Plaza bulging Urdanibia of the Raise XXXIII Athletic to San Marcial organized by Bidasoa Atletiko Taldea.

* At 20:00: In the Amaia K.Z., Operetta, ” Giant and Pigheaded “, of M. F. Caballer organized by the Lyric Association Luis Mariano de Irun. Price of the entry: 24 € associates and 30 € not associates.

On June 28, Sunday:

* At 10:00: Exit from the facilities of the Sports Society Santiagotarrak of the Concentration II Popular Piragüismo’s and Oar.

* At 19:00: Exit from the square of San Juan of the Giants and Pigheaded of the Irungo Atsegiña and Bidasoako Txaranga accompanied by the fanfarre Irungo Atsegiña and Municipal Band of Txistularis. The streets will cross San Marcial, Sargia, Larretxipi, Plaza Urdanibia, Reedy Street, Santiago, Bidasoa, Avenue of You Go out, Fermín Calbetón keeps silent About Schools, Street, Street León de Iruretagoiena to finish in the square of San Juan

* To them 00:15 hours: From the Bidegorri of Santiago, Fireworks, at the expense of Pyrotechnics Paul.

On June 29, Monday:

* To them 08:00 hours: In diverse neighborhoods, traditional Diana de San Pedro, at the expense of the Band of Musical ” Irun’s City “.

* To them 08:00 hours: Reveille in diverse neighborhoods interpreted by Flageolet-players Uranzu.

* To them 09:30 hours: From the Walk of Colon, exit of the cycle race XC I Reward San Pedro - The Classic XVIIth Irun, category Elite and Sub-23, organized by the Cycle Club Irunés.

* At 10:30: Of the square of San Juan, exit in procession of the Municipal Corporation to the Church, accompanied by the Municipal Band of Txistularis, Band of Musical ” Irun’s City ” and Giants of the Irungo Atsegiña.

* At 12:00: To the exit of Mass and in the Small square of the Reed-bed, the Municipal Corporation will dance the Aurresku.

* At 12:30: In the Arkupes of the House Consistotrial, San’s Pedro Traditional Concert offered by the Band of Musical ” Irun’s City “.

* At 19:00: Exit from the square of San Juan of the Giants and Pigheaded of the Irungo Atsegiña and Bidasoako Txaranga accompanied by the fanfarre Irungo Atsegiña and Municipal Band of Txistularis.

* At 22:00: Rememoración of the Act of the Torches. Exit from the Ambulatory one of the Avda. Gipuzkoa, crossing: Artaleku, Major, San Juan, Prudence Arbide, Street Jesus, Larretxipi, Hermitage, Arbes’s Mill and Artia’s Bridge. Organized by Juvenile Pagoki Asociación.

On June 30, Tuesday:

*  At 06:00 hours: Diana de Villarrobledo.
* Beginning of the Ostentation San Marcial.

* At 12:00: In the mount San Marcial, fulfillment of the Secular Vote of the year 1522 for the Municipal Corporation.

* From 13:00: Mass in San Marcial’s Hermitage on July 01, Wednesday:

*At 08:00 hours: In the square of Urdanibia, contest of cattle organized by Irungo Euskal Kirolak.

* At 10:00: In the square of Urdanibia Trikitilaris.

* At 11:30: In the square of Urdanibia Bertsolaris.

* At 12:00: In the square Rural Urdanibia Deporte.

* At 18:00: In the fronton Uranzu, Departed from Professional Ball organized by Kurpil Kirolak

* At 18:00: In the square of Urdanibia, the XIXth Championship of the Bidasoa of Dance to them Free, organized for Meakako Adixkideak Dantza Taldea.

* At 22:00: Exit of the Fanfarres Jostallu, Elizatxo and Gauerdi.

* At 22:45: From the Bidegorri of Santiago, Fireworks at the expense of Pyrotechnics Zaragozana.

* At 24:00: From the square of Txanaleta, gone out of the Correcalle end of the festivity, which will cross the Walk of Colon, Street Jurisdictions, Major Street to finish in the Plaza San Juan, with the participation of the Fanfarres Jostallu and Elizatxo.

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The religious celebration of the Corpus Christi is the Body and Christ’s Blood celebration, it reminds the institution of the Eucharist, which the Holy Thursday carried out, during the Last Dinner when Jesus turned the bread and the wine into his Body and his Blood. At present the Corpus is celebrated on next Sunday following Thursday as this day is not bank holiday anymore.

In Segura the celebration depends on the lunar calendar, is in the habit of being a few days before the summer solstice, this year is celebrated on June 14. According to experts seems to intermingle the pagan rites of celebration of the solstice and the beginning of the crop with the religious rite, on the one hand with the flower offerings on the streets and the procession of Christ’s image along the streets.

Also in Oñati the Corpus Christi has a magnificent procession celebrated on Sunday from 1990, is undoubtedly the procesion that has manteined better its characteristics of the whole Basque Country being the most spectacular. Day of great solemnity, tradition, religiousness and dance be founded on the peculiar procession that after the mass, crosses the streets of the village.

On Eve and the day before Eve of the celebration of the Corpus, the basque dancers cross the streets and the neighborhoods of the Villa dancing and doing collection. The day of the Habeas, before the procession beginning, they receive one to one to the different steps that were taking part in the same one, then they go to the search of the living step of San Miguel that together with twelve Apostles provided with masks, they constitute the central part of the procession. The basque dancers cross the streets dancing during the whole tour procesional. They dance before the steps, before the small altars of the way, before the living step of San Miguel and it they do making sound their castanets constantly. Once inside the Church and before the Consecration they dance again before the Christ image.

In the evening, in the square, they represent the complete cycle of dances of “Korpus Dantzak”: San Sebastianen Dantza, Banako Makil Dantza, Launako Makil Dantza, Zortziko Makil Dantza and Arku Dantza. Finished the cycle they dance an Aurresku. The dantzaris dress, besides trousers and white shirt, a few coat-tails or red sayuelas called Valencian and red band and tie.

To enjoy this celebration you can come to the midday of June 14, 2009 and just after the mass it begins the central act of the procession.

In former Bilbao close to the celebration of the Corpus Christi, the holidays of the Villa were celebrated, with bullfights and other events of a form parallel to the religious celebration, how we all know nowadays the holidays of Bilbao are celebrated in August, named the Big Week (Aste Nagusia), but this is a more modern invention of the year 1978 to be exact, since there had got lost the tradition of celebrating both united holidays.

It is a party that continues waking admiration up in Bilbao, though to be sincere it had a few years in which it remained relegated to the interior of the temples. The procession of Bilbao was recovered by the bishop of the Bizcaya capital a few years ago and it has managed to be consolidated. The acts begin with a mass in the Cathedral of Bilbao, celebrated by the own Bishop.

When it finishes the liturgical ceremony, begins the procession, in which there take part the bishop, numerous priests, the courtship that is opened by the Parochial Cross and a confreres’ great representation of the Fraternity and Confraternities. In 2008 there was placed a huge carpet done with papers of diferent colors where a Custody was represented. Likewise acolytes, priests gave color to the celebration, the txistularis, a basque dancer, and certainly the Chapel of Music with a metal quartet.

It has helped to create a frame of promotion of the bars’ gastronomic business. In addition, the contest has been consolidated as playful model with the bars as protagonists. Its current level is in the maximum level.

With more inscribed bars that never and with renewed spirits; this way it starts the edition XII of the Bilbao-Bizcaia Pintxo Competition, during six weeks will make sprout the most exquisite preparations in the bars of the inscribed places.

The registered bars of Bilbao have happened from 39 of the past edition to the 45 from this one, whereas of the rest of the territory a whole of 23 has signed, opposite to the 15 of 2008, ” what demonstrates the vivacity and the desires of the bars of our territory “, they indicated from the organization. In addition, the event will rely on more than a set of thirty local collaborators that, though they do not present elaborations to contest, they will support it.

For almost six weeks, they will present more than 150 preparations of bar, ” gastronomic miniatures to tasting standing up with the fingers and in two bites”, that will surrender to the judgment of the juror. As every year, this one, anonymous, will value the places, the bars and the elaboration of it.

Among the awards there will be two innovations: a specific prize for the best pintxo with bread and other one for the best terrace with degustation of specialities’ menu.

These are the different awards:

• Txapela of Gold:  Reward to the Pintxos Bilbao-Bizkaia’s Best Bar
• Txapelas of Silver: 2 áccesits
• Other 6 Txapelas:
  • Best Bar
  • Best Products of the region
  • Best Especial-original Pintxo
  • Best Pintxo with Bread
  • Best Terrace
  • Best Omelete
• Txapela of gold Villa of Bilbao: Award to the Pintxos’s Best Bar, out of our territory.

In this occasion (the fourteenth one), the Medieval Fair will receive more than 60 craftsmen and workshops, major figures of the event.

The celebration and the music arrives and Ordizia adorns itself for the occasion, and between this racket of organized disorganization the craftsmen arrives, they are going to adorn the streets and show their products and how they do them. The market is a great theater, a putting in scene that is going to happen during this weekend at the historical part.

The group of Animation throughout both days of market will make representations of diverse mythological tales. On the other hand the presence of the royal group of medieval horsemen with its mounts and clothes that gives a great colorful light to this medieval market with their costumes is assured; as well as the presence and demonstrations of archers belonging to the Ordizia’s Club of Shot with Arch that will seat their place in the outdoor fronton.

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The whole Ordizia’s Major Square and its surroundings will transform themselves to shelter this market that tries to create the genuine environment of the medieval epoch, giving to the market a playful cultural character.

The market is the great theatre that transforms streets and squares, filling with diverse scents, light, color… Every place, every personage, acrobats, clowns, musicians, artists, together with food products and craftsmen who realize demonstrations of their skills,  manage to transport ourselves to older times and make us enjoy it all whatever age you may have also by observing old instruments that they guard in their memory.

Ordizia’s historical part changes to become a great theatre that transports us to older times, keep our imagination alive and manage us to enjoy this medieval feeling only by walking throughout this atmosphere. The organization of the market that runs at the expense of Ordizia’s Town hall, has the support of the Food Association of Craftsmen of Navarra, association was created in 1994 and takes as an aim the defense and promotion of the products food-processing craftsmen.

Ordizia’s medieval market offers five different type of products:

1. Nourishment: Idiazabal’s cheese, Roncal’s cheese, duck’s products, cider, sausages, honey, sweets and cakes….

2. Crafts’s stalls, completing a sample of different trades: potters, manufacturers of paper, shoes, salves, manufacturers of leather, masks, engravers of wood, goldsmiths of silver ….

3. Street animation: The medieval environment complements itself with theatrical performances, clowns, storytellers, musicians and the magician who bewilders children and adults with his tricks and his aspect. Throughout the day different passes are taking place without fixed schedule, which keep the market alive, begin with the proclamation and throughout two days delight us so much with their music and their small theatrical acts.

4. Decoration: The market is decorated with multitude of hung elements, as shields, banners, etc … As well all the stalls of the craftsmen and they themselves are decked to the old usage, besides the product we will be able to see the demonstration of their works and the tools that were in use long ago. In this paragraph the market brought a few years ago an interesting innovation and it is the reproduction idealized of two of the four entry doors that long ago had the fortified Village of Ordizia.

5. Other activities: On the other hand the presence of the royal group of medieval horsemen with its mounts and clothes that gives a great colorful light to this medieval market with their costumes is assured; as well as the presence and demonstrations of archers belonging to the Ordizia’s Club of Shot with Arch that will seat their place in the outdoor fronton. We will continue relying on the participation of the local groups as the pilgrims of the choir of the society “Larrun-Arri”, as well as the Band of Music “Beti Argi”, who will be in charge of playing more music on the medieval fair. To those local groups add also the dantzaris of the group Jakintza and Urdaneta, taking part approximately 40 , as well as the Band of Ordizia’s Music school which will be accompanied also for a few drums.

Also they will install workshops in different places. To the workshop of ceramics for children that it will be in main square they join several workshops: of traditional games, calligraphy,  paper arts…. Regarding stalls there will be tanners of leather, blown of glass, lace of lace-bobbins, hewn stone, forge, beside the iron-work of horses realized in the same moment.

Brief  history of the medieval Ordizia

Ordizia has been since its foundation (1268) place of treatments, interchanges and trade, in fact its traditional wednesday’s weekly fair comes confirmed by decree of the Queen Juana the year 1512. Ordizia also is located inside the Guipuzcoa’s interior route of the Santiago’s Way, and in this way not only bloomed the ecclesiastic life, but also the trade.

And as all the places of public’s agglomeration the jongleurs, musicians, quacks, clowns, magicians, small companies or individual persons, couldn’t being absent,as that could take advantage of these places by a few minimal earnings to insure themselves.
The different performances of the company Trikumailu are inspired in the life of these jongleurs, traders and storytellers reflecting the legends of Santiago’s Way and Euskal Herria’s legends.

The great annual fair with its foreign merchants, variety and abundance of products, was a good occasion to buy and sell, of good eating and drinking, of meeting friends and amusing without measure. Clowns, jongleurs, jugglers, acrobats, ballerinas and storytellers were joining in the markets and fairs to show their skills.

As it was announcing to be in those fairs “Remove the wash from strings, here they come the jongleurs! “, this way was promising to be the arrival of those companies full of the most mixed and rare prominent figures, with their multicolored clothes and varied shows they were interrupting the gray monotony and the daily routine of the villages and villas.