The origins of this Catalan tradition, of building increasingly higher human towers, dates back to the 18th century. In the small town of Valls, about 40 kilometers west of Barcelona, the residents started building these towers for the first time.
The individual groups (Colles) also began competing in sporting contests to outdo one another. Thus, not only did tower building itself emerge, but so did the competition.
The towers at the start of tower building resemble today’s ones quite closely; the basic structure of a Castell, as the tower is called in Catalan, has hardly changed. Such a Castell always consists of three parts.
Since 2010, the human towers of Catalonia have been recognized as part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage.
The foundation is formed by the "Pinya", a relatively wide ring that distributes the weight and stabilizes the structure. This ring also softens the fall of the Castellers if the tower collapses.
Depending on the height of the tower, one or two additional strong, ring-shaped layers ("Manilles") are built on top of the Pinya.
Above that is the actual tower. The "Tronc," Catalan for trunk, consists of several levels with a specific number of people on each level. Depending on the arrangement and the number of up to nine people per ring, each Castell has its own name.
The top of the tower is reserved for children due to their light weight. They form the "Pom de Dalt", the dome.
Complete construction and deconstruction of a Castell
The technique of building is practiced frequently, and every Casteller has a specific position and function within the Castell, even though the Pinya may seem random to outsiders. Once the Pinya is in place, the members of the Manilles climb onto it in a set order and form the first rings. The strongest must bear the most weight, standing at the bottom, while the lighter ones go higher up.
Finally, the "Anxenta" climbs to the top and remains there for just a few seconds to raise their arm and greet the crowd. The tower is crowned, and the goal is almost achieved. The Castell now has to be dismantled without collapsing—an equally tricky and rehearsed process as building it. For safety, children today wear foam helmets.
There are also some special variants where the trunk is built in reverse order. A level is built, then pushed upwards, and the next, lower level is constructed.
During the construction, a flute and drum play the "Toc de Castells", a melody that indicates the phases of tower construction and heightens the emotions. This melody also accompanies the Castellers during their entry and exit.
Traditionally, Castellers perform their tower building during the main events of larger festivals. Usually, three Colles come together to create their human structure. Today, tower building takes place more frequently outside of festivals, but the main season runs from June to November.
You should definitely watch a tower building performance; it is truly a unique experience.
The construction of Castells is a rural tradition, which explains why in the large city of Barcelona, a group wasn’t founded until 1969, known as the Castellers de Barcelona. The early members mostly came from the nearby town of Vilafranca, not far from Barcelona. Although there were earlier groups, they were unsuccessful and no longer exist today.
The Castellers de Barcelona continued to improve their technique, and the towers grew taller.
While 7-level Castells were built in the 1970s, today they reach up to 9 levels. So far, only 10 Colles of the Casteller association have managed this level of difficulty. The "Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya" represents 60 Colles.
Castells originated from a traditional folk dance in the town of Valls. The dance steps were accompanied by a flute, the same instrument still played during tower building today. At the end of the dance, a small human tower was built. This must have inspired the dancers' ambition: over time, the towers detached from the dance, and rival groups began building increasingly elaborate towers. It is believed that by the late 19th century, the tower building had completely separated from the folk dance.
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