Nope, this isn't about the online retailer higante.com. Although it's a pretty cool name. The Higante, or giant, is a common folk tale around the world, even in the Philippines where the average height is 5' 4" for men and 4' 11" for women (or 163.5/151.3 cm respectively--more impressive in metrics, no?).
The legend behind the Philippine higante varies from person to person. These tales range from the western "Jack and the Beanstalk" tale of golden eggs and vines, to caricatures of the new Spanish colonizers, to the grotesque consumption of little children. Each rendition of the hingante story points at various external cultural influences over the years of trade and colonization.
Varying stories aside, several towns in the Philippines integrate the higante into festival. Most well known is the paper mache almost piñata-esque character trampling vicariously down parade paths.
It's not all festivals though. To stay in the theme of the supernatural series, there's a very physical part. Locals in the Philippines, among many other cultures, have claimed that giants really do exist. From Native Americans to the Bible, one has to wonder if we had extremely tall cousins in the past.
Video of higantes (look for the floats) during the Ati-Atihan festival in Kalibo
*Photo by Odz
