Higantes Festival is an annual festivities held every November 23 in Angono, Rizal; its main purpose is to honor San Clemente, patron saint of the fishermen. His image is carried by male devotees during the procession, followed by the street dancers and participants. Higantes (Giants in English) is made up of paper mosaic handcrafted by the artistic minds of the people of Angono.
The event started from St. Clement Church in Angono, Rizal passing on several roads. While waiting at the gate of the church, I noticed that the cameras of many photographers were covered with transparent plastic. No idea but I didn't pay attention to those, instead I focused on the gorgeous, stunning and elegant costumes of the street dances.
The street dancers were all
tireless and were still fierce even the sun was hot. Instead of following the
routes of the festival, we walked on the streets nearby and talked to the
residents about Higantes Festival and its history. It was mentioned by the residents
that the procession will proceed to Pagoda – a place where the
fluvial parade usually started.
As I mentioned above, without any idea about the Higantes
Festival, we were just holding the words from the residents about the
preparation, we continued walking the streets to the Pagoda. While en route, I and
Mae were shocked when the residents threw water on us, then explained that it’s
part of the Higantes celebration, like the basaan during San Juan fiesta.
Explanation accepted! Lesson learned! Instead of feeling horrified, we embraced
it and continued walking to Pagoda.
We arrived at the Pagoda at
around 10 AM, and locals there mentioned that it usually takes a few hours before
the arrival. So instead of waiting, we decided to leave the area and proceed to the highway to witness the colorful procession. Paintings and other handcrafted works of art can be found everywhere. We were both starving, so we
looked for a place to dine. Out of curiosity, instead of having an
international taste, we chose something exotic at Balaw-balaw Restaurant, just
by the highway.
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