The Giants of the Valencian Corpus Christi

It seems that in Valencia, in 1399, on the occasion of the coronation of Martin I, viewers witnessed the symbolic killing of a dragon. The appearance of the  anthropomorphic Giants, however, dates back to the sixteenth century. Originally, there were pairs of giants (male and female) who personified the four known continents. The presence of the Dwarfs, best known as cabezudos (oversized headed figures) dates back to the late sixteenth century. By virtue of the restrictive measures issued by Charles III in 1780, the participation of the giants in the procession of Corpus Christi was prohibited. They do, however, continue to march unmolested in the procession that takes place just before the start of the ceremony. Some scholars believe that they symbolize, paired with the giants, the submission to God by any entity of the earthly world, big or small. The case of the Valencian parade seems to confirm this hypothesis: the three pairs of Dwarfs who take part, in fact, represent the sons of Noah (Ham, Shem and Japheth), or the founders of the populations of the earth gathered at Corpus Christi to represent the universal subjection of men to the Mystery of the Eucharist and, more generally, the word of God. Nowadays Dwarfs and Giants parade on the eve of Corpus Christi along with other monstrous creatures.