Processional giants, french: géants processionnels, es, gigantes y cabezudos, va, gegants i cabuts, ca, gegants i capgrossos, eu, erraldoi eta buruhandiak are costumed figures in European folklore, particularly present in Belgian,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Portuguese, Spanish, and English folkloric processions. The main feature of these figures is typically their papier maché

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

, whilst bodies are covered in clothing matching the costume's theme. Since 2008, Belgian and French processional giants have been recognised as a

Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and th ...

by UNESCO, as part of the binational listing of '

Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France The processional giants and dragons (french: Géants et dragons processionnels) of Belgium and France are a set of folkloric manifestations involving processional giants, which have been inscribed by UNESCO on the lists of Intangible Cultural ...

Background

The processional giant is a gigantic costumed figure that represents a fictitious or real being. Inherited from medieval rites, tradition has it that it is carried, and that it dances in the streets during processions or festivals. Its physiognomy and size are variable, and its name-giving varies according to the regions; among the Flemings, it is known by the name of ''reuze'', among the Picards it is called ''gayant''. The large

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

figures in the procession also served the purpose of catechising a largely illiterate population. The first registered date for the ''gigantones e cabeçudos'' is the Corpus Christi festivity in Évora, Portugal, back in 1265. It included the snake, the demon and the dragon which represented the challenges that Jesus Christ had to defeat. In Spain, the first written references in novels date from 1276 in Pamplona (Navarra) with three giants representing three people from Pamplona: Pero-Suciales (woodcutter), Mari-Suciales (villager) and Jucef-Lacurari (Jew).

Belgium

Belgium has nearly 1500 giants on its soil. Their appearance dates back to the 15th century;

Goliath Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) a ...

of Nivelles, which is mentioned as early as 1457, is the oldest known Belgian giant. Belgium also has the largest giant in Europe; Jean Turpin of Nieuwpoort, which exceeds . The Belgian cultural heritage includes the following events: * Ducasse d'Ath *

Ducasse de Mons The Ducasse de Mons, also commonly known as Doudou, is a popular festival that happens every year on Trinity Sunday (57 days after Easter) in the town of Mons in Belgium. The feast comprises two important parts: the procession, including the ...

* Meyboom of Brussels * Ommegang van Dendermonde * Ommegang van Mechelen File:Ath ducasse 2004 Ambiorix.jpg, The giant Ambiorix at the Ducasse d'Ath, Belgium File:Géants de Tournai pendant la Grande Procession (DSCF9101).jpg, Giants of

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

, Belgium File:GeantsMeyboom2.jpg, Giants of the Meyboom of Brussels File:Walloon Giants Belgian Day Wisconsin.jpg, Giants of Belgian American community in

Brussels, Wisconsin Brussels is a town in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Brussels and Kolberg are located in the town. The unincorporated community of Rosiere is also located pa ...

France

The giant is one of the symbols of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. It is the object of ancestral cultural practices that are still kept alive. Present at regional festivals and events, he represents the northern community. The region currently has more than 450 giants, spread over the whole territory. There are nevertheless more dynamic intra-regional zones, located around central points. The Flemish part of the region is a land of giants; each city has one or more of them. Examples include Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman of

Cassel Cassel may refer to: People * Cassel (surname) Places ;France * Cassel, Nord, a town and commune in northern France ** Battle of Cassel (1071) ** Battle of Cassel (1328) ** Battle of Cassel (1677) ;Germany * Cassel, Germany, a city in Hesse renam ...

, Tisje Tasje of Hazebrouck, Jean de Bûcheron and La Belle Hélène in Steenvoorde, and Totor of

Steenwerck Steenwerck (; Dutch: ''Steenwerk'') is a commune, in French Flanders, in the Nord department in northern France. It is located about north of Lille and in 2013 had a population of 3519. People from Steenwerck are known as ''Steenwerckois''. I ...

. In the South, in the Languedoc region, there is the Pézenas colt, and in the Provence, the tarasque of Tarascon (Bouches-du-Rhône). *

: Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman * Douai:

Gayant Gayant the Gigantes y cabezudos, giant is an iconic processional puppet of Douai. Each year for three days at the beginning of July, the Gayant festival takes place. The Gayant family, composed of the giant's wife Marie Cagenon, and their thre ...

, Marie Cagenon, Fillon, Jacquot, Binbin * Pézenas: le Poulain * Tarascon: la Tarasque File:Reuze Papa Cassel.jpg, Reuze Papa of

, France File:Gayant.jpg, Giants couple;

and Marie Cagenon, Douai, France File:Tarasque in Tarascon 02.jpg, Fibreglass Tarasque in Tarascon, France

Spain

''Gigantes''

The giants are usually hollow figures several meters tall, with a painted paper maché head and arms, the rest of the body being covered in cloth and other clothing. Their frame is usually made of wood or aluminium, with carton-pierre—a mixture of papier-mâché and plaster of paris—used to make the head and hands. The frame of the body is hidden by cloth, and the arms typically have no structural element to allow them to swing in the air when the giant is turned. Within the frame is an individual controlling the giant. He carries a harness on his shoulder that is linked to the internal structure, and will move and shake the giant in a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, usually accompanied by a local marching band. Typically, these dances will include at least two giants, the male ''gigante'' and the female giantess, called ''giganta'' or ''gigantona'', though some towns have multiple couples. The figures usually depict archetypes of the town, such as the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

and the peasant woman, or historical figures of local relevance, such as a founding king and queen, or pairs of

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

and Christian nobles.

''Cabezudos''

''Cabezudos'' are smaller figures, usually to the human scale, that feature an oversized, carton-pierre head. The heads are worn with a matching costume. The person dressed as cabezudo will use one hand to hold his head, while the other hand carries a

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

pig bladder Pig bladder (also pig's bladder) is the urinary bladder of a domestic pig, similar to the human urinary bladder. Today, this hollow organ has various applications in medicine, and in traditional cuisines and customs. Historically, the pig bladder ...

, used to frighten children or young women. Seeing through the "mouth" of the head, he will chase after these people, though he might pause to calm a frightened child. As with the giants, the cabezudos typically represent archetypes of their town.

''Zarzuela''

''Gigantes y cabezudos'' is also the title of an 1898

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

, with music by Manuel Fernández Caballero, set in Saragossa and featuring a contemporary event: the Spanish army's return from the disastrous defeat of the

Cuban War of Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). The final three months ...

. The action unfolds during the festival of the

Fiestas del Pilar The Fiestas del Pilar are an annual festival celebrated in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon, in honour of the patron saint of the city, the ''Our Lady of the Pillar, Virgen del Pilar'' (Our Lady of the Pillar). The week long festival takes place e ...

, and concludes with a rousing

jota Jota may refer to: __NOTOC__ * Iota (Ι, ι), the name of the 9th letter in the Greek alphabet; * (figuratively) ''Something very small'', based on the fact that the letter Iota (lat. i) is the smallest character in the alphabet; * The name of the ...

focusing on the stereotypically strong, hardy character of the

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

ese, comparing them to the ever-battling "Gigantes" and "Cabezudos". File:Mare de Déu de la Salut 21.jpg, ''Gegants'' at

La Mare de Déu de la Salut Festival The Festivity of La Mare de Déu de la Salut is a festival celebrated in Algemesí (Province of Valencia, Valencia), Spain, from August 29 to September 8. The festival is in honour of the patron saint of Algemesí, La Mare de Déu de la Salut, ...

from

Algemesí Algemesí () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' of Ribera Alta (comarca), Ribera Alta in the Valencia (autonomous community), Valencian Community, Spain. The town of Algemesí is on ...

, Spain File:Gigantes de San Vicente.jpg, ''Gigantes'' of Barakaldo, Spain File:Encontro de Bonecos Gigantes de Silvio Botelho.jpg, ''Bonecos d'

Olinda Olinda () is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Recife metropolitan area, Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state capi ...

'', Olinda, Brazil

England

England's most famous ''gianteering'' tradition is arguably that of the Jack in the Green, however the country is also host to giants more visually similar to those of

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. These giants may represent figures of folklore and pseudohistory, or can be more general personifications. The earliest record of a processional giant in England is a reference from 1570 to the Salisbury Giant who processed on the eve of St John the Baptist's Day, or

Midsummer's Day Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christianity, Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Chri ...

. The Salisbury Giant, a depiction of

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is veneration, venerated by several Christianity, Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Deciu ...

, is believed by some to date to the 1400s, and was owned by the Tailor's Guild before being purchased by the Salisbury Museum in 1873.

St Agnes, Cornwall St Agnes ( kw, Breanek) is a civil parish and a large village on the north coast of Cornwall, UK. The village is about five miles (8 km) north of Redruth and ten miles (16 km) southwest of Newquay. ''and'' An electoral ward exists s ...

, hosts the May festival

Bolster Day Bolster day is an annual festival held at Chapel Porth cove near St Agnes, Cornwall, UK. The festival is held on the Sunday before the early Spring Bank Holiday in May every year and reenacts the events of the Cornish legend of Bolster the giant a ...

featuring a processional giant that represents the mythical giant Bolster. Other English giants include ''Nathandriel'', ''The Morrigan'', ''War and Peace'', ''Hannah Clarke'', ''Gog and Magog'', and ''Mr Fishy''.

Philippines

The Higantes Festival is held in Angono, Rizal between 22 and 23 November since the late 19th century.

Other figures

Celedón Celedón (, eu, Zeledon ) is a character central to the Virgen Blanca Festivities of Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque province of Álava in Spain. He is portrayed wearing a beret and dressed in a traditional blouse, always carrying an um ...

* Hobby horse *

Joaldun A joaldun is a traditional carnival character in the Basque culture of Navarre, especially in some small villages on the north of the province: Ituren and Zubieta. His function is to shake some cowbells to warn people about the arrival of the carn ...

* Judas Iscariot * Olentzero * Toro de fuego * Zanpantzar

References

Footnotes

Notes

External links

Giants and big heads group in San Sebastian

Madrid's group

Valladolid's group - Giants and big heads

International Circle of Friends of Giant Puppets

Giants of Lleida Friends Assotiation
* Gigantes y cabezudos of Zaragoza {{Traditional festivals in Spain European folklore Puppets Spanish culture Catalan culture Basque culture Portuguese culture