The end of Christmas sees the start of the Maskaradas. This is the Zuberoa carnival and has survived year after year since ancient times and it is actually unknown when it began.

It is held from January to April, and every year a different village is responsible for organising the event; therefore, every weekend, the Mascaradas travel throughout the villages of Zuberoa. This year they start on January 13th, and the village responsible for holding the event is Atharratze.

The "mascaradas" are made up of two groups: the gorriak and the beltzak. The gorriak, or ‘the ones in red’, with their beautiful red costumes and elegant dances; and the beltzak, or ‘the ones in black’, dirty and grotesque, whose main colour is black and which are known for creating disorder. Among the gorriak, one of the key figures of the the Mascaradas is the Zamalzain, who has a wooden armour that roughly represents a horse with an extremely small head.  Among the beltzak we find, for example, the leader of the gypsies -bohem-jauna.  The beltzak or the black ones constantly bother the gorriak and especially Zamalzain.

In the morning, the mascaradas reach the village, which is to be the scene of their show. The gorriak arrive dancing and the unruly beltzak appear creating havoc, going over the "barricades" -obstacles made up of the heterogeneous objects - prepared by the inhabitants of the village. They roam the streets and visit the most important people in the town.