SAINT ANDREW CATHOLIC SCHOOL

BUGALLON, PANGASINAN

PROJECT
IN

SUBMITTED BY: CIARA MAE V. EVANGELISTA

STUDENT

SUBMITTED TO: JOMELYN S. PANTANOZA

SUBJECT TEACHER

S.Y. 2018-2019
The Angono’s Higantes
Festival for San
Clemente

 Higantes
Festival is celebrated
every 22 and 23 of
November in the city
of Angono, Province of
Rizal in the Philippines
to honor San
Clemente, the patron saint of fishermen. The festival features a
parade of hundreds of higantes, papier-mâché giants.

 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.

 Higantes are puppets rendered as man or woman in various

costumes; their face gives a commanding look, their hands on the
waist. The festival’s origin can be traced back to the period of
 Spanish colonial rule when, as Angono was a ruled hacienda,
celebrations were prohibited, except for one festival per year.

 The Angonos (people of Angono) used the festival as an

opportunity to mock hacienda owners by making papier-mâché
caricatures—an art they learned from Spanish friars.

 In the present time, the Angonos build higantes to represent

each barangay (smallest administrative division in the Philippines;
village) for the festival’s parade. Accordingly a higante with a duck-
shaped heard, for example, represents a barangay famous for fried
duck and balut (boiled duck embryo eaten from its shell).

 The number of higantes has increased to hundreds over time, with

more and more artists making higantes in various sizes and shapes.
Seminars or workshops on higante-making thru government
support have also contributed to keeping the festival alive.

 It takes about a month

to make no less than
three-meter-tall
higante. A higante’s
head, the hardest part
taking a week to create,
is made up of
newspaper strips while
its body is made up of
bamboo or rattan strips
to carry it easily for hours. The handle’s height is adjusted to see its
legs when it is raised by 30 cm from the ground.
  In a tradition called basaan, people
sprinkle water on the parade or each other
for blessing. People believe that water
symbolizes San Clemente, the patron saint
of fishermen, which is why they shout for
water on themselves.

 The parade also includes a band and a

group of young girls
called parehadores. Suited in colorful
costumes, parehadores hold
a sagwan (wooden boat paddle), wearing
wooden slippers; such items are symbols of
San Clemente devotees.

 Going back to the “higantes”, the head of the giants is shaped from
a mold made of clay, then dried under the scourging heat of the
sun. As modern technology set in, the mold made of clay is now
made of plaster of Paris and resin. The mold is then glued with
newspapers, split in the middle, sun-dried and later on put together
by pasting a brown paper to cover the split. Afterwards, it will be
sun-dried again and hand painted. The body of the “higantes” is
made of bamboo or yantok (rattan). Thin iron bar can also be used
to shape the body of the giants. To complete the masterpiece, the
“higantes” will be glam-up with colorful costumes and accessories
to finish the look. A festival that shows the fun-spirited Filipinos,
the ability to make the best of any bad situation given. Indeed,
Higantes Festival is a celebration of BIG stories.

 The girls march together with the band, shouting “Viva San
Clemente!” The band plays music, following the girls. With multiple
parade teams competing with each other, Higantes Festival has
become one of the most famous festivals enjoyed by people of all
ages in the Philippines.