The Basque language has a fascinating and mysterious history. Its origins, unlike most European languages, are not linked to Indo-European roots. The Basque language is the oldest living language in Europe.

The International Day of the Basque Language, or Euskararen Nazioarteko Eguna, is commemorated every December 3 with the purpose of making visible, promoting and celebrating this unique language.

The Basque language, spoken mainly in the Basque Country, Navarre and the French Basque Country, is a cultural and linguistic treasure that stands out for being the oldest language in Europe still in use.

The celebration on December 3 is related to Eusko Ikaskuntza. The first Day of the Basque Language was celebrated 75 years ago, in 1949, in Lapurdi, Lower Navarre and Zuberoa.

In addition to these locations, it was also celebrated in Paris, Mexico, Caracas, New York and other places around the world. Since then, the celebration has been held annually on the day of Saint Francis Xavier, a Navarrese missionary and emblematic figure of the region, who died on this date in 1552.

Although there is no direct relationship between the saint and the Basque language, the Society of Basque Studies (Eusko Ikaskuntza) made this day official in 1949, choosing a symbolic day that represents the cultural heritage of the Basque people. Its origins, unlike most European languages, are not linked to Indo-European roots, making it an isolated language.

It is believed to predate the arrival of Latin and other Romance languages ​​to the Iberian Peninsula, which places it as a living vestige of the first languages ​​spoken in Europe. For centuries, the Basque language survived thanks to its use in rural communities and its oral transmission, which made its written development difficult until well into the Modern Age.

However, the path of the Basque language has not been easy. At different times in history, especially during Franco's dictatorship, its public use was repressed, being relegated to private spaces.

The town in Euskadi where no one speaks Basque: only 14 people combine Basque and Spanish. Despite this, with the arrival of democracy, the Basque language experienced a renaissance thanks to linguistic policies that made it official in the Basque Country, and encouraged its teaching in schools.

Today, more than a million people speak Basque, and its learning continues to grow. The International Day of the Basque Language is, therefore, a celebration of resistance, diversity and commitment, an opportunity to look to the future without forgetting the roots of a language that is much more than words: it is identity and cultural legacy.

The International Day of the Basque Language will be celebrated in cities around the world, with activities organised by the Etxepare Basque Institute in 13 cities in Europe and America, conferences, workshops, round tables and film screenings in places such as Berlin, Edinburgh, Montevideo and Santiago.