Eusko Abendaren Ereserkia ("Anthem of the Basque Ethnicity") is the official anthem of the Basque Country. The original title use the orthography Euzko. It should not be confused with Eusko Gudariak ("Basque Soldiers"), the anthem of the Eusko Gudarostea (the Basque National Army during the Spanish Civil War) or with the Gernikako Arbola ("The tree of Guernica"), a popular Basque song.

It is sung to a traditional Basque tune. The founder of Basque nationalism, Sabino Arana, wrote the lyrics. It was used by his party (PNV) and in the 1930s adopted by the first Basque government.

Its re-proclamation by the Basque Parliament on 14 April 1983 was opposed by several parties that deemed it still to be bound to the PNV rather than to the rest of the Basques. The law makes official the music with no lyrics, since opposition parties felt the Arana text too religious and linked to PNV.

It is a testament to the word usage of Sabino Arana that the three words of the title are neologisms devised by himself.

External links

• Eusko Abendaren Ereserkia - .wav file.
• Institutional symbols of the Basque Country: Anthem and Flag, at the Basque Government site.