Higantes (Giants) Festival is a Unique Procession

HIGANTES FESTIVAL

Photo from: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/photo/269766/angono-celebrates-higantes-festival/photo/

The townspeople of Angono, Rizal, definitely know how to throw a BIG fiesta. The annual town’s fiesta of Angono held every 23^rd of November is a celebration in honor of San Clemente (patron saint of fishermen). The main event is a procession of the patron saint, which is carried by male devotees, convoyed by “pahadores” (devotees dressed in colorful local costumes or fishermen’s clothes, wooden shoes and carrying boat paddles, fish nets, traps, etc.). Adding to the festivity is the “Higantes” (giants). Higantes are giant paper mache images measuring four to five feet in diameter and ten to twelve feet in height. The street event leads to a fluvial procession in Laguna de Bay, however, the festivities continue until the image is returned to its sanctuary. Read More: https://themixedculture.com/2013/10/25/higantes-festival-angono-rizal/

Photo from: https://www.freedomwall.net/travel/higantes-festival-2012-schedule-of-activities/

The month of November is the busiest time of the year for the Angono folks. This is the time when people prepare themselves for the celebration of the Higantes Festival.

The festivity got its name from the paper-mache giants that is always brought out to include in the celebrations. The origin of these giants were said to be the paper-mache giants used by the Angono natives before against the Spanish oppressors as a form of protest against them.

The preparations start as early as September, During this time, you can hear a faint sound of drums and lyres practicing their parade piece, whether a traditional parade piece, the classic Voltes V theme song or something from the latest array of music, such as Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.

During the month of October, more preparations are becoming visible. Besides the sound of the drums and lyres, the sound of the majorette’s whistle can now also be heard. The participants of the parade are starting to hold their routine practices, including the parehadoras. Parehadoras are participants who usually wear wooden clogs (bakya in Filipino), colorful attires, and they hold wooden paddles, which signifies the history of Angono—that the town was once a fishing village.

At the same time, the installment of banderitas are being held. These banderitas are pretty important because aside from the fact that these give the fiesta feeling a little more boost, the banderitas used in Angono are made out of recycled materials, which is great, because it minimizes use of paper, therefore, it saves a lot of trees from being cut. These recycled banderitas also proves that Angono is an environment-friendly town, which is synonymous to one of the current mayor’s advocations: Zero Basura.

And then, come the month of the festivities. Read More: http://angonorizal.weebly.com/higantes-festival1.html

Photo from: https://letsgopinas.wordpress.com/tag/higantes-festival/

Every November, the Higantes Festival is celebrated by the people of Rizal. In this festival, they show different designs of their 14 feet tall giants dressed in camisa chino for men, and kimona for women.

The Higantes Festival is done in celebration of San Clemente, and is held every November 22 and 23. First done by the people of Angono as a form of protest, these paper-mache giants now play the part of one of the most unique festivals in the country.

Preparations for the festival start as early as September, when different schools get their drum and lyre bands practicing for the festivities in November. Other groups start practicing their routines for the parade that will take place on day 2 of Higantes Festival. Read More: http://primer.com.ph/event/2016/09/11/the-giants-of-rizal-angonos-higantes-festival/

Photo from: http://www.happiness.travel/contest/photo?id=693