Higantes Festival of Angono, Rizal - Gigantic caricatures of their cruel landlords
November 6, 2008 by admin
Filed under Angono Festivals, Rizal Festivals
The Higantes Festival in Angono, Rizal
Celebrated at the 23rd of November, the Higantes festival is a one of a kind celebration that flows with color and gaiety to the town of Angono. The main attraction of the festival are the “Higantes”, giants made out of paper mache which measure up to twelve feet in height and five feet in diameter.
Accompanied by the “higantes” is the patron saint of fishermen, San Clemente. The image is carried by devotees, along with the “higantes” and the “pahadores” (devotees dressed as either fishermen with fishing equipment or with just bright local costumes) on a procession throughout town until the event concludes with the image returned to its sanctuary.
The tradition began back in the days of the Spanish colonization, when Angono was but a Spanish hacienda. The owners prohibited all forms of celebration, save for one annual festival, because of the costly preparation. Bored townspeople decided to play a joke which involved making gigantic caricatures of their cruel landlords which became the “higantes” of today, the joke became a beautiful spectacle which never fails to amuse everyone.
As time went by the materials used for creating the “higantes” changed, improving its durability by using tough materials like bamboo, rattan, and even thin iron bars for the body. Yards of clothing materials, along with accessories, complete the “higante”.
Mr. Perdigon Vocalan suggested that all thirteen barangays in Angono must have about two to four “higante” representatives which must symbolize the barangay’s industry or personality. After a year the suggestion gave birth to almost 40 different “higantes”, each with different appearances which represented the barangay’s industry (one of them carried a basketful of duck eggs on its head, symoblizing the barangay’s booming industry of balut-making), giving the festival more color and attracting more and more visitors to watch the merriment.
