The old Casa de la Caritat giants will have a special role to play on Thursday, when the Carnival King arrives. This couple, popularly known as Rodanxó and Rodanxona, are two figures that date from the 19th century and were closely linked to the old carnival celebrations that used to be held in the city. Their first public appearance we have any record of was in 1859, when they belonged to the Societat Carnavalesca del Born.

The same sources that talk of these giants’ participation in the Carnival King’s arrival also mention some other participants in the King’s entourage, including more giants: a couple resembling two peasants and another, in a very poor state, dressed like an Arab. As Amadeu Carbó explained on the radio programme ‘Fes Ta Festa’, this document raise new questions about Barcelona’s giants in the 19th century, because the only ones identified out of those mentioned are the Rondanxons. So who were the others?