Asuncion and the ... big heads, papier maché ...

[Anemone del Camino]

Can anyone explain what the large headed dolls/people on Santiago's streets today represent?

I would love something in the Resource section about when to be in Santiago depending on its religious 'happenings'.

 

[mspath]

Can anyone explain what the large headed dolls/people on Santiago's streets today represent?

I would love something in the Resource section about when to be in Santiago depending on its religious 'happenings'.

Those Big Heads are known as Cabezudos. Here is a list from En.Fiestas.Net of all the events for today, Ascension day, May 5, 2016.
( Click the tab to change languages)

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Those Big Heads are known as Cabezudos. Here is a list from the Santiago Tourist Office of all the events for today, Ascension day, May 5, 2016. ( Click the tab to change languages)

But how are they linked to the Asuncion?

 

[mspath]

Don't know! Hope Google can tell all!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I would love to hear more about it. Is it related to Ascuncion/Ascension Day or just part of a fiesta? We saw one such figure in Logrono during the San Mateo festival, a scary looking but essentially friendly giant, walking/dancing through the streets and patting heads or shaking hands with people, including us - and yes, I was a tiny bit scared . You see them also in northern France and in Flanders during festivals; they were imported by the Spanish troops when these parts of Europe were the "Spanish Netherlands" under Spanish rule (roughly 1600-1700). See also the entry Gigantes y cabezudos in Wikipedia. There is a bit on the origin in the Spanish article and a lot more in the French article. There are links in Spanish to more history on these "giants and big-heads".

Yoûre right, also seen in Belgium, but good question, part of a "fiesta"/celebration, or wotj a significance with the,particular Catholic festivity of the day?

 

[Felipe]

Giants and cabezudos or big heads are a usual part of many festivities in West Europe -an also, to some extent, in Latin America. Groups of children taunt cabezudos, and they chase them by the streets...I remember that from my childhood. Cabezudos can give you a head-butt, so you run as fast as possible. It was very fun.
I saw them in Santiago, the 25th July, many years ago (see photo).
Giants tend to represent characters associated with local history, but generally a king, a queen, and a "Moor", are always present (I remember, in a Basque village, a "Mexican charro", because it was formerly a migrant town).
Today, it is a kind of much liked tradition, and they are financed by city halls.
I read somewhere a theory about that those giants were initially present in Corpus Christi, and they represented the kings or parts of the world, giving homage to Christ. Beside giants and cabezudos, in Corpus there were "tarascas", a kind of monster or serpent.

 

[Castilian]

Ascuncion/Ascension

They are actually two different days. Today (May 5th) is Ascensión (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Ascension). Aug. 15th is Asunción (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumption_of_Mary).

There's also el vino que tiene Asunción but that's another story...

Is it related to Ascuncion/Ascension Day or just part of a fiesta?

part of a "fiesta"/celebration, or wotj a significance with the,particular Catholic festivity of the day?

There are tons of local traditions and I don't know about the specific case of Santiago de Compostela. However, I'd say that Gigantes y Cabezudos are found in many festivities all around Spain and nowadays aren't seen as connected with religion by most people. If there was some place(s) where they still were explicitly connected to religion (e.g.: they were found on the same procesión that saints and/or virgins), I'd say that would be an exception. In most places, it's just an act/activity of the festivities aimed (mainly) for kids with no religious connection (even if it had a religious connection in the past). It may have its tradition in each place (e.g.: the giants representing historical personages) but many times people is unaware of it.

On www.ssantabenavente.com/paginas/Arca/GigantesCabezudos.htm you can find an article about the history of the Gigantes y Cabezudos on the Corpus Christi procesión in the town of Benavente that can be very interesting to get some ideas.

 

[mla1]

Some extra big ones just walked by the window of my pension in Santiago.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've seen them in Santiago, Pamplona, Astorga, and Burgos. All on different fiesta days.

 

[Felipe]

OK, I am officialy nostalgic. I had a vision of myself running down a cobblestone street with other kids, both laughing and scared, pursued by an apparently angry (and, in perspective, completely inoffensive) “big head”. Thanks, @Anemone del Camino for bringing back these almost forgotten memories.

 

[koilife]

Those Big Heads are known as Cabezudos. Here is a list from En.Fiestas.Net of all the events for today, Ascension day, May 5, 2016.
( Click the tab to change languages)

That's an awesome site! A bit crude in its navigation, but dynamite in its info.

 

[annakappa]

We also have them in Costa Rica. Any fiesta ( part from Semana Santa) is a good excuse for them to come out and create a bit of fun. It's definately Spanish inherited.