Adding color and gaiety to Angono town fiesta, celebrated early the 23rd of November, are the "Higantes" paper mache of giants measuring from four to five feet in diameter and ten to twelve feet in height. Angono, Rizal's joyous major festival in honor of feast of San Clemente (patron saint of fishermen) whose image, glorious in papal vestment, is carried by male devotees during a procession accompanied by "pahadores” (devotees dressed in colorful local costumes or fishermen’s clothes, wooden shoes and carrying boat paddles, fish nets, traps, etc.) and “higantes" (giant paper mache images). The street event finishes in a fluvial procession in Laguna de Bay amidst revelry that continues until the image is brought back to its sanctuary.
HISTORY
The “higante” tradition began when Angono was a Spanish hacienda. The hacienda owners concerned about costs, prohibited all celebrations except for one annual fiesta. The townspeople, concerned about enjoyment, decided to make the best of a bad situation. Using an art form brought from Mexico by Spanish priests, they created larger-than-life caricatures of their Spanish landlords. In typical Filipino fashion, the fiesta become in equal parts, a stunning spectacle and a tricky inside joke.
Paper mache making is an art that is known back during the Spanish Era. The head of the giants is fashioned from a mold made of clay, which is dried under the heat of the sun.
The “higante” tradition began when Angono was a Spanish hacienda. The hacienda owners concerned about costs, prohibited all celebrations except for one annual fiesta. The townspeople, concerned about enjoyment, decided to make the best of a bad situation. Using an art form brought from Mexico by Spanish priests, they created larger-than-life caricatures of their Spanish landlords. In typical Filipino fashion, the fiesta become in equal parts, a stunning spectacle and a tricky inside joke.
Paper mache making is an art that is known back during the Spanish Era. The head of the giants is fashioned from a mold made of clay, which is dried under the heat of the sun.
This photo only courtesy of wikipilipinas.org
With the advent of modernization and technology clay is changed to plaster of Paris and resin. The mold is then pasted with lots of newspapers then split into the middle and sun-dried, after which it is then pasted with the brown paper (the slit being covered) then sun-dried again and painted. The body is made of bamboo, but other materials like rattan and thin iron bars can also be used. Yards are yards of clothing materials and accessories complete the costume of the "Higantes".
