Higantes Festival

The higantes are papier-mâché figures three or four metres tall, built on bamboo frames with a person inside carrying them, and Angono parades hundreds of them on 22 and 23 November for the feast of San Clemente, the patron of fishermen. The tradition is usually traced to the Spanish period, when the hacienda system allowed townspeople one fiesta a year and they made effigies caricaturing the landlords - which is why the original figures were a scowling man, a woman and a child, and why the parade has always carried an undertone of mockery. Today the figures represent every trade and character in town. The other component is water: San Clemente's image is carried in procession and everyone in reach is soaked, from buckets, hoses and the lake itself, so nobody watching stays dry. Angono is an artists' town, and the craftsmanship on the figures reflects that.

What you actually see

• The giant figures - papier-mâché effigies carried through town.
• The San Clemente procession - the fishermen's patron paraded.
• The soaking - water thrown at everyone along the route.
• The parehadora - costumed participants escorting the image.

When to go

22 and 23 November. Arrive in the morning; roads into Angono close and traffic from Manila is heavy on both days.

Honest expectations

You will be soaked - bring waterproofing for anything electronic and expect no exceptions. Crowds are dense along the route. Parking is impossible near the centre; come by jeepney or park far out.

Nearby

Angono's galleries and the Binangonan petroglyphs are minutes away; Antipolo is up the ridge.