A villager wearing a carnival costume holds his ram as he watches a group of "Joaldunak" (Carriers of bells) dance to the tune of the heavy bells they carry on their backs on their way to Ituren, in the northern Spanish region of Navarra January 31. According to mythical Basque stories, the noise made by the big bells carried by the "Joaldunak" ward off evil spirits and give prosperity for a year to the people living in nearby towns. Every year, villagers from Zubieta parade to the neighbouring town of Ituren to join this traditional carnival, which is considered a festival to welcome the spring after a tough winter in the deep valleys of the northern Navarra region.