Songs, music, dances and ceremonies have always accompanied the Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure bay’s everyday activities. In the 16th century, the pope agreed to the request of the Saint-Jean-de-Luz parish to move the Catholic Corpus Christi celebration so that seafarers could participate in the celebration before going to Newfoundland (now part of Canada). For five centuries, this unique Saint-Jean-de-Luz tradition has been celebrated after Christmas during the Epiphany Sunday (unlike the usual Corpus Christi celebration, which is celebrated 60 days after Easter) and it involves the procession of children representing the Wise Men adoring Jesus Christ. The year is also punctuated by eagerly awaited events, the highlights being the celebrations in honour of Saint John and Bixintxo (i.e. Saint Vincent, the patron saint of Saint-Jean-de-Luz), which are mixtures of ancient and new practices, and which attest to the vitality of this intangible cultural heritage that is inextricably linked to the identity of the port of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure.
