Garai
((Photo property of F. J. Etxeita)
 

THE PAGE OF GARAI'S VILLAGE
(Not official)

    This nice and small village of the Basque Country is placed in the skirts of the mount Oiz (one of the hornblower mounts of Biscay) in the district of Durango of the mentioned historical territory of Biscay. It has an extension of 1,742 acres and a population who does not come to all 300 inhabitants (235 according to the census of 1981) that devote themselves fundamentally to the forestry, farming, cattle raising and, as
only industry, a sawmill.

 
    It possesses two principal churches, formerly independent parishes, dedicated to the worship of St Michael Archangel and St John Evangelist respectively, and several hermitages spread by its neighbourhoods, such as St Catherine Virgin and Martyr, constructed by the house of Duñaiturri and placed in the homonymous neighbourhood, and St John the Baptist of Momoitio, in which boundaries there is a very ancient necropolis.

 
    Like in the most of the villages of the Basque Country, holidays are celebrated in different epochs of the year. The most important are those celebrated in honour of St James. In these feasts have special protagonism the local group of dances, famous for its executions of the "Ezpatadantza" (traditional sword dance), performed during the celebrations. Other traditional dances of these feasts are " Gernikako Arbola Dantza ", "Dantzari Dantza" and "Agintariena" (greeting the Authority or "Ikurrin Dantza").

    The exceptionality of Etxeita's Oak is outstanding; placed close to the homonymous country house (traditional family seat) in the neighbourhood of St Catherine. It is a tree of unusual dimensions and age that, it is said, give shelter to a flock of more than 300 sheep. This oak is inside the group of trees protected by the Basque Government.

    In this zone of Biscay were typical the constructions called hsrreos (barns), 'garaidxe' in autochthonous basque, like the one that was in the mentioned Etxeita's country house (nowadays destroyed), of great value and interest for the learners of the rural life and architecture. The typical housing is the isolated country house, being the principal village settlement very small.

    Traditionally in the Basque Country, the families have adopted, as surname, the name of the country house where they came from, for which reason, knowing the names of the country houses, it is possible to know the origin of the surnames.