To give you an idea: the giants of Tolosa reach the first balconies in the Old Quarter. The Tolosa Troupe is responsible for this cultural icon of the town: looking after them, training, preparing choreography, rehearsing and taking the giants out to the street alongside the big heads. Preparing involves a lot of work, and this is understandable when you discover that each of the giants weighs between 55 and 60 kilograms and each big head is around 10 kilograms. And there is only one person inside! In 2018 they travelled to Japan, to the Iida Puppet Festival.
The fact that they were mass produced was not appealing; this led to a group of people from Tolosa deciding to create something new, more original, unique, that had more identity and links to the town: they spent the entire year of 1993 working on the first giants of Tolosa that we now see, with the help of different companies.
The Giants and Bigheads
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People began to be more and more attracted to the event, and thus the troupe began to grow: in 2004 they added Peio and Isabelita to the group of giants, in honour of Tolosa Carnival. The big heads of the Veleta and Ero Etxe gastronomic societies were also created. Their intention has always been to create more characters, and that is how the last one was created, in honour of Juanito Lope.
The march of the troupe of giants and bigheads is one the most popular events of the Sanfermines. 4 pairs of giants, 5 bigheads, 6 kilikis and 6 zaldikos, all made of papier-mache, give life to the streets of Pamplona in the evening of 6th July and the mornings of 7th to 14th July.
The giants go through the streets to the sound of traditional parade music. Each giant dances to a band of bagpipe players and the last one, which is always the American queen, dances to flute players.
There are five bigheads, made by Felix Flores in 1890. Despite their large heads of more than one meter in height, more than two meters in circumference and 14 kilos each, their only task is to walk and precede the giants, shaking hands with the children. Their names are Alcalde, Concejal, Abuela, Japones and Japonesa.
A "Zaldiko" (a man wearing a horse figure) prepares to take part in San Fermin festival's "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona July 9, 2011. "Kilikis", wearing outsized masks and playfully hitting...more
A "Zaldiko" (a man wearing a horse figure) prepares to take part in San Fermin festival's "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona July 9, 2011. "Kilikis", wearing outsized masks and playfully hitting bystanders with sponges on sticks, parade daily through the city accompanied by brass bands during the nine-day-long festival made popular by U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway. REUTERS/Susana Vera
A boy reacts in fear as a "Kiliki" lifts up his hat during San Fermin festival's "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona July 8, 2011. REUTERS/Susana Vera
A man reading a newspaper looks at a "Kiliki"as he rests during San Fermin festival's "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona July 9, 2011 REUTERS/Susana Vera
A boy reacts in fear as a "Kiliki" approaches him during San Fermin festival's "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona July 8, 2011. REUTERS/Susana Vera
A "Zaldiko" (a man wearing a horse figure) talks to an acquaintance during San Fermin festival's "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona July 9, 2011. REUTERS/Susana Vera 2ff7e9595c
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