Giants of North

See also: Giant

In the Folklore of the North of the France and Belgium, the giant is a gigantic figure which represents a fictitious or real being. Inherited Rite S medieval, the tradition wants that it is carried, and that it dances in the streets the days of Carnaval S, Braderie S, village fairs, Ducasse S and other festivals. Its aspect and its size are variable, and its name varies according to the areas; at the Flemish , it is known under the name of Reuze, at the Picards, it is called Gayant.

Created by a group of people who share common values, the giant is a major symbol of the collective identity. Carried by one or more people, it only moves, in couple, or in family, at the time of her day of fête.
Indeed, each giant has his day out; the carrier gives him life, the fact then of dancing, of kissing a giantess, of greeting crowd…

Each giant has his history, the giants is born, is baptized, marries and has children like the men. The giant, as a representative of the inhabitants of the place where he saw, is enraciné in the Tradition and belonged to the Popular culture. The giant has a remote origin. The creation and the life of the giant are the witnesses of practices ancestral, specific to the areas having of the giants on their ground. Present on all the continents, the tradition of the giants is from now on an element of the inheritance vivant.
Since November 2005, the traditional giants of France and Belgium and their festivals are registered under masterpieces of the oral and immaterial Patrimoine of humanity near UNESCO.

History

The giant is originating in southernmost Europe, and more particularly in the Iberian peninsula.
the oldest traces are with the Portugal and go back to the 13th century. Later, the phenomenon of the giants developed in Spain; they are then dumb characters who miment episodes of the religious history and local legends. At the 16th century, Spain dominates much of areas of Europe, the Nouveau World and Asia. It is said whereas it has a Empire where the sun never lies down. In Europe, this one extends until in the Provinces from North, that is to say the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, with the Belgium, and the Netherlands, territories where the phenomenon of the giants developed.

Giants of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais

See also: List of the giants of the North of France

The first giants were born at the time where the area to the Spanish Netherlands belonged. Oldest indexed was born with Douai in 1530. It belongs to the family of Gayants. They are then gigantic mannequins inspired of the Greek Mythologie and Roman, the Old one and New Testament, or of Chanson de geste, They ravel at the time of religious processions. But the profane deviances of certain giants are not taste of the Church. These are proscribed religious processions, and ravel in the processions of the carnivals and the pagan festivals. The Révolution also tries to make disappear the tradition from the giants, because it is perceived like a survival of the Ancien Mode, which would convey contrary values with the revolutionary principles. In spite of these unfavorable economic situations, the giants, as symbols of the identity of the cities, adapt to the political regime changes as with the evolution of the religious life; Gayant will carry successively the blazon of Charles Quint, then the sun of Louis XIV, before raising the weapons of the city.
The 19th century will be that of the rebirth of the giant; the romantic thought, to the research of the origins of the man and the company, offers a compost favorable to the rebirth of the old traditions, therefore with that of the giant. Regarded as the founder and the guard of the cities, the giant sees his role increasing as those take importance, in particular with the Industrial revolution and the increase in the population.
Many cities have their giant, so much in France with Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman with Cassel, Martin and Martine with Cambrai, Roland d' Hazebrouck, but also in Belgium, with the many giants of the Ducasse d' Ath.
The exits of the giants were stopped at the time from both world wars, but the tradition begins again at the end of the 20th century. Certain cities create new giants then, like Cafougnette in 1948 with Denain. Other cities ressuscitent their missing giants, like Steenvoorde with the Belle Helene, a giantess who saw the day in 1853 and was recreated in 1980.

Giants of the North of France

The giants of the Northern of France, one counts some more than 450, are established with the four corners of the area Nord-Pas-de-Calais. One also finds some in the departments of the Aisne, the Oise and the Somme.

See too

Gayant
Giant of Catalonia

External bonds

UNESCO - Giants and processional dragons of Belgium and France
the round of the giants
the federation of the giants of the north of France
Photographic library of the giants of the north of France

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