Basque Carnival: ancestral customs celebrated every winter

Dance, music, entertainment and, above all, conviviality: these words perfectly describe the Basque carnivals, an iconic custom in the south of France. As winter slowly comes to an end and gives way to spring, the Basques joyfully celebrate the renewal of life in the Pyrenees. In February, put on your mask and costume to fully experience this colourful tradition.

Every year, Basque carnivals — known as Ihauteriak in Basque, or masquerades — bring towns and villages to life with spectacular parades and popular theatre performances. Music fills the streets, generations mingle and the festive atmosphere invites young and old alike to share a unique experience. From the end of January, these celebrations symbolically mark the arrival of spring through ancestral rituals, such as the awakening of the bear or the condemnation of San Pantzar.

Two highlights of the festivities

In some villages, the carnival retains a very local dimension, with the inhabitants becoming the real actors in this street spectacle:

• Santibate: young people transform themselves into Zirtzil, exuberant characters who make funny faces. Dressed in costumes, wearing masks or make-up, they go from house to house singing, dancing, drinking and sharing meals.
• Libertimendua, celebrated in Saint-Palais and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, is a humorous show combining theatre, music and dance. Inspired by village life, it features satirical pamphlets, bolantak dances and Zirtzil pranks.
• The Kaskarot tour of houses, organised on the eve of the carnival, sees the village's young people dancing from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, dressed in costume from head to toe, to collect donations.

Don't miss these highlights of the Basque carnivals and come and celebrate the return of spring in a festive and authentic atmosphere.