The three giants from the East Flemish town of Dendermonde are to appear at a festival to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Catalan giants that is to be held in the region’s capital Barcelona in September. Giants from towns and cities across Europe will parade at the festival. It is quite rare that the giants leave Dendermonde and the town’s Mayor Leen Dierick (Christian democrat) told VRT News that she feels honoured that the Dendermonde giants have been invited to the festival.
Barcelona’s “Gegants” are the oldest recorded giants in Europe. They are known to have been in existence since 1424. Each year Catalans celebrate the giant’s “birthday” with a festival in Barcelona. µ
The 600th anniversary is extra special and so it was decided to invite towns and cities from other European cities to send their giants to the festival. The Dendermonde giants Indiaan, Mars and Goliath (photo above) are among those to be invited.