Jaialdi 2010 kicks off with street festival at the Basque block

During Jaialdi time in Boise, everybody is a Basque. Or at least, everybody does what Basques do. And on Tuesday evening, dozens of hundreds of Basques or Basques wannabes filled up the Basque Block, downtown Boise, as a street festival marked the beginning of the Jaialdi 2010, the biggest international Basque cultural festival held in the United States.

Jaialdi, a Basque word meaning ''party time'', is held every five years in the capital city of Idaho and celebrates Basque culture through dance, song, music, education and food, attracting attendees from all around the world.

And this is what they did: Eat, drink, watch pelota games in the Anduiza fronton and dance to the rhythm of the strollingmusicians in the Basque block.

''So far, this is not technically the first night, but it is the first time. We have txalaparta, we have trikitixa, we have people doing irrintzis, so the festivities are officially kicked off and are going well'', explains Ysabel Bilbao, one of the organizers.

''So far, it is crazy. The Basque block filling up with euskaldunak, people meeting friends'', says Maite Iribarren-Gorrindo, one half of the US-Basque design team Ahizpak.

Beñat, who has come from Bilbao, had already been in Boise several times but never to the Jaialdi. ''I am very happy with the atmosphere, I think it is a great chance for me to meet people from Boise and meet people from the Basque Country that I would not have the chance to meet there'', he says, just minutes after the pelota game between the Basque Country has finished.

The World Pilota Championship started in Boise on Sunday July 25th and they will continue until Wednesday July 28th. The final game will be played on Friday after the NABO finals, which Boise also hosts.

Euskadi beat Argentina 30-9, and, despite what the score shows, it was a wonderful game. ''Ondo, ondo, ondo'', says Fermin Bilbao as he leaves the fronton. ''Oso ondo. It has been an incredible game'', adds Justo Sarria, who, as well as Fermin, was born in the Basque Country and came to Boise almost 50 years ago. Both of them were delighted with the pelota game.

For Javi, from Sukarrieta, a small village in Bizkaia, the pelota game was also incredible. It is first time in Boise and in the Jaialdi and is really happy that he is here. ''We did not really know what we were going to find here, but there is a great atmosphere''.

Peio, from Deusto, had already heard about the Basque-American community in Boise and says to be surprised how well everything is organized. He feels comfortable. ''This is like the Godfather movies, this is little Euskal Herria. I feel good, like at home or almost''. ''But the bad news is that I am 20 years old'', he complains.