Utah Basque Dancers, Jaialdi 2010, Zuberoa Maskarda

Sunday, Aug 1, 2010

From the smallest of the seven Basque provinces, Zuberoa, comes some of the more complicated and splendid Basque folk dances. With the end of winter, it is traditional that some of the small towns in Zuberoa organize the unique "Maskaradak" or Carnival celebration. The dances are only a portion of the day-long performance which includes music, song and dance. The five principal dancers from the "maskarada" are the "txerrero," who prepares the way for the others by sweeping the path with a horse's tail; the "katusaina" or the cat-man character who snaps a wooden apparatus that represents a cat's claws; the "kantiniersa" or canteen carrier which is a recent addition from the Napoleonic period in France; the "zamalzaina" or hobby-horse character that represents a stallion; and the "entsenaria" or standard-bearer. The dances are centuries old, and they are believed to be an ancient pagan fertility rite.

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Entertainment

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• Utah Basque Dancers
• Jaialdi 2010
• Zuberoa Maskarda