"A year ago, during the carnival, the theme came out of how we live the holidays today, that some foreign festivals are spreading more than the locals in the last area... and in front of that came the idea of bringing masks so that people could participate and recognize it as a festive model. The masquerade is a matter of young people, and we wanted the young people here to know how they organize them, and because it also works as a transmission in singing, dancing, verse..." Aitor Atxega tells us about the birth of the initiative to bring the Masquerade to the Aiztondo valley.

The first step was to contact this year’s Masquerade Regent: They went to Allande Davant's house and explained the intention, that they wanted him to bring the masquerade, but not as a "fair monkey", that the purpose was to work on the theme in the valley and show the masquerades. They accepted the proposal and started working on a one-year project.

Joint elaboration in the villages of the valley

They formed a team with members from all the villages of the Aiztondo valley and presented the project of the whole year in the Aiztondo Mancomunidad. "Thanks to the support of the Mancomunidad, Atxega is grateful for the opportunity to carry out the projects in good conditions". These are the actions carried out:

During the cultural weeks of the villages, there was a talk and a photographic exhibition about the masquerade.

They passed the material to the schools of the valley to hang it on their websites. Joaine Etxebeste taught the teachers masked dances to work with the students and give them at the carnival parties.

In the villages, Etxebest has taught four dance courses, open to all citizens.

Information has been passed on to municipalities to be posted on their websites.

Information has also been disseminated to the local media in the valley. (Here is the "Curiosities about Masks" published by the Portal of Tolosaldea.) (Listening here, a special performance prepared by Xibero Boqueta for the Masquerades de Aiztondo). (Here is the opinion piece of the organizing team of Aiztondo.)

7th of May The Masquerade of Aiztondo

On Saturday, May 6, at 6:00 p.m., the institutional reception will be held in the Plaza de Asteasu by the municipal representatives of the valley and the Town Hall. On the 7th of May, the program will be:

10:00. Barricades in the Plaza de Asteasu.

11:00. Barricades of Letas de Alkiza.

12:00. Barricades in the Plaza de la Aduna.

13:00. Barricades in front of the Town Hall of Zizurkil.

14:00. Lunch at the border of Larraul.

16:30. Masquerade games in the Plaza de Larraul.

Atxega says that they have been given clues about the towns of Aiztondo for the sermon of Kaute and that several episodes of the performance written in Basque will be distributed on the chairs, as a crutch for the audience to follow the performance. But that the goal has been to keep the "masquerade games intact".