Mascarades Souletines

An ancestral carnival rite

The Mascarades Souletines are a traveling carnival tradition unique to Soule (Zuberoa in Basque), the smallest province in the French Basque Country. Like other winter festivals across Europe, they draw inspiration from ancient carnivals, feasts of fools, and wedding rituals. Each year, one or more villages in Soule come together to organize the season, forming a troupe that travels from village to village throughout the valley for several months; the host village changes every season.

The Reds and the Blacks

The troupe, consisting of about forty actors, musicians, singers, and dancers, is split into two opposing groups that embody order and chaos, the familiar and the outsider: the Reds (Gorriak) are silent figures, skilled dancers dressed in refined, brightly colored costumes reminiscent of Napoleonic soldiers; they represent Souletine society, order, and merit. Their highly virtuosic dances blend local traditions with the influence of 18th-century military dance masters, a legacy of the Napoleonic armies. The Blacks (Beltzak) are loud and wild, dressed in rags or animal skins; they represent outsiders, nomads, and chaos. Among them, the central character of Pitxu adds a comedic and satirical touch, parodying societal flaws with the freedom of expression characteristic of carnival.

Dance: the heart of the Mascarades

Dance is the dominant feature of the Mascarades Souletines and their most spectacular element. The repertoire includes character dances, spectacular leaps, and acrobatic figures passed down from generation to generation.

A traveling ritual

The Mascarades take place every weekend from mid-January until Easter Sunday. The troupe travels from village to village, receiving hospitality from each community they visit. Upon arriving in a village, the dancers encounter a symbolic barricade that they must overcome through dance and negotiation. This welcoming ritual, followed by a full performance in the village square, is a moment of communion between the young members of the troupe and the host community.

The 2026 season

For the 2025-2026 season, the youth of Sauguis-Saint-Étienne, Trois-Villes, Ossas-Suhare, and Menditte are jointly organizing the Mascarades, running from January 18 to April 25, 2026. Performance dates will be announced starting in December by the Tardets Tourist Office and Basque cultural networks.