Jai alai (/ˈhaɪ.əlaɪ/: [ˈxai aˈlai]) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off of a walled space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker cesta. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term jai alai, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton (the open-walled playing area) where matches take place. The game, whose name means "merry festival" in Basque, is called "zesta-punta" (basket tip) in the Basque Country. The sport is played in Spain, in the south west of France, and in Latin American countries.