At Carnival there are activities such as the Oilar-jokoa contest specifically organized for the children. On Eguen Zuri or Orakunde day (the Thursday before Shrove Tuesday), children’s eyes are covered and the game consists on them looking for a half-buried cock using a wooden sword. In the past it was a pretty cruel and bloody game. Nowadays more restrained versions survive in Araba and Nafarroa.

There is another Carnival ritual in which animals take part called Antzar-jokoa or goose game. It has lived through the passing of time in Nafarroa and Bizkaia. Young boys riding a horse try to rip off the throat of a goose hanging from a rope. This is the tune heard in Markina Antzar-jokoa.

Antzarrak
Markina (Bizkaia)