History

The 3rd February is dedicated to Saint Blas. He was a doctor and as a christian persecuted and finally killed. People here believe that he had special abilities for curing throat troubles and problems of the nose and ears. In the Basque Country every year lots of strings of different colours as well as sweets are blessed by the priests. For some weeks people wear one of the strings around the neck in order to avoid colds and in general problems with the respiratorysystem. Neither the sweets nor the strings can do any harm and at this time of year it is quite easy to catch a cold, so why not try to prevent it? Strings and sweets are given as presents to family members and friends.