The Antzar eguna (Day of the Goose) is held on 5 September every year in the harbour of Lekeitio. It is a three-centuries-old traditions, and it is even thought that it was practised in primitive rituals in the past.
In its origins it was a competition in which only arrantzales (fishermen/seafarers) could participate, and even if there was no clear winner a race was organised in which the boat crews had to go around Izora island once.
Nowadays the Antzar eguna is a participative event in which groups of friends get together in their boats. It attracts people from all over Biscay and beyond to celebrate the day with music in a generally festive atmosphere.
On the Day of the Goose in Lekeitio a rope is hung across the harbour from one side of the estuary to the other, with a goose in the centre hanging by its legs. One of the ends of the rope is fixed but -on the opposite quay- it is wrapped around a post and the end is pulled by young men who raise and lower the rope, submerging it in the water as the participants try to grab the goose.
The groups of friends, dressed in blue shirts and checked neckerchief, manoeuvre until they are under the goose so that one of them can grab its neck and dive into the water. The competition consists of hanging on as long as possible, the winner being the one who achieves most raises of the rope and gets the goose’s head.
Controversy due to the use of animals:
In recent decades a debate began on the use of animals in this ritual, as originally (remember that it is a centuries-old tradition) it was done with sedated -but alive- geese.
Since 1986 the geese used have been slaughtered beforehand, although the tradition is evolving to keep up with the times and the geese are mostly made of rubber now.
Leaving the controversy aside, it is worth visiting Lekeitio and getting to know this curious tradition with which the lekeitiarras celebrate the antzar eguna, the most important day in the festivity of San Antolines.
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