Beautiful Legend Of Giant Olentzero Who Brings Christmas Presents To Basque Children

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Children wait impatiently for Santa Claus to bring them gifts when Christmas approaches.

Kids are taught misbehaving children receive coal on Christmas Eve, but those who have been kind will get toys and candy.

Basque children await the arrival of Olentzero, the kind Christmas giant who brings them gifts. Credit: txakel - Adobe Stock

Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas, is a legendary figure in Western Christian culture, but other figures are responsible for delivering Christmas gifts in some countries.

In Italy, children eagerly count the days to the coming of La Befana on Epiphany, the Twelfth Night of Christmas. La Befana is an excellent broomstick-riding witch who delivers gifts to children.

La Befana has been an Italian Christmas tradition since the eighth century and is celebrated every year on January 6.

One of the oldest ethnic groups in Europe, the Basques live in a mountainous land between Spain and France. Their traditions and customs are distinctly their own but often reflect Pagan and Christian beliefs.

Basque mythology often mentions Giants as they believe these vast beings roamed the Earth long ago. One famous giant remembered by the Basque was Basajaun, a blacksmith who taught people agriculture secrets.

Olentzero parade in Lesaka on December 24. Credit: Alfonso Bermejo

The Basques also have an incredible legend about the Christmas giant Olentzero. It's an unusual story because Olentzero, who was said to be one of a race of mythical giants known as Jentilak who lived alongside humans thousands of years ago, was never meant to be associated with Christmas.

According to a Basque legend, the Jentilak, meaning gentile, were tall and hairy creatures who once co-existed with people. Known as stone-throwers because they liked to throw rocks from one mountain to another, they are often credited with constructing many Neolithic monuments.

Jentilak Giants Spotted A Luminous Cloud In The Sky

As the legend tells, the giants suddenly saw a luminous cloud in the sky one day. They watched it with a mix of curiosity and fear. Then, an older man approached the Jentilak and told them the glowing clod was a sign Jesus Christ had been born.

A figure of Olentzero being carried through the streets of Barakaldo. Credit: Javier Mediavilla Ezquibela - CC BY 2.5

This news terrified the giants who feared Christianity as they believed it would mean the end of their lives. The older man, who was also equally scarred by Christianity, asked the giants to use their strength and carry him to the top of a mountain and throw him off. He didn't want to live anymore. The Jentilak obliged, but they accidentally stumbled and fell off the hill as they were going back themselves. All of the giants, except Olentzero, died.

A Fairy Found Orphan Olentzero The Woods

With time, the legend of Olentzero has been adapted to suit the modern world better. Nowadays, it is said that Olentzero was once an orphan found in the woods by a fairy who gave him to a childless couple. His new mother and father loved him very much and raised him. Olentzero became a skilled woodcarver who made beautiful wooden toys for the Basque children. He was a gentle giant with a warm heart, and when he died, the fairy granted him the gift of eternal life. In this way, he could make children happy by bringing them toys.

"In line with this version, Olentzero is usually seen nowadays dressed in the rough outfit of a Basque peasant, wearing a beret and smoking a pipe. Performers may dress like him at country festivals or share dolls and straw figures of the character.

See also: More About Christmas Traditions.

On Christmas Eve, some Basque children will make puppets of Olentzero and parade them through the streets, engaging in a yuletide version of trick-or-treating. In some regions, the evening ends with burning those effigies—symbolizing an end to the season, not any disrespect to the last of the mountain giants." 1

Although the stories about him vary from village to village, there is no doubt Olentzero, the kind giant from the mountains, has never been forgotten, and the Basque children love him.

Written by Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com

Updated on December 23, 2023

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