Fiestas
Castells - The Catalan Human Castles
By h.b.
Jan 22, 2008 - 3:30 PM

The Catalan tradition of human towers, known as ‘castells,’ – the Catalan word for castles – dates back to the end of the 18th century in Valls, Tarragona province, and is now an integral part of Catalan culture. They are believed to have originated from human towers which were built by dance groups at the end of 17th and 18th century.
The intricate process of constructing the towers is carried out by the ‘castellers,’ who belong to groups known as ‘colles.’ The teams train to compete against other colles at the local festival, where precise techniques are used to build the highest and most complex castle. It’s an amazing feat of not only strength, but also teamwork, concentration and discipline.
The motto of the castellers is strength, balance, courage and reason.

There are three main parts to a castell: first, is the ´pinya,’ or base of the tower, which forms the bulk of the structure, taking most of the weight and acting as a shock absorber for anyone who may fall. Each casteller in all parts of the castell has his own specific function, and a name for his position.
Then comes the tronc, or the trunk, which can be made up of a number of levels, with a certain number of people on each storey, depending on the type of castle being built. The last section is the top three levels known as the ‘pom de dalt,’ and at the very tip, the ‘anxaneta,’ the young child who climbs the tower and salutes the public from the top.
Each part of the process is accompanied by its own particular music to mark the stage of construction.

Archive Photo - EFE

There are many varying types of castell, named by numbers according to its width and height. A 4 de 8 (four of eight) would mean an eight level castle with four people on each storey of the tronc, aiming to reach eight storeys high: from the pinya upwards, five storeys in the tronc, and three in the pom de dalt. Some collas have even managed 10 storeys, forming a structure reaching up to a height of 13 metres.
A castell is only considered a success, however, when it has been successfully assembled and dismantled without collapsing.

The castell season generally lasts from June until the end of November, with some of the most important venues held in la Bisbal del Penedès on 15th August, Vilafranca del Penedès on 30th August – where there’s another contest for All Souls Day on 1st November - at La Mercè Festival in Barcelona in September, for the Diada de Santa Ursula in Valls in late October, and the Diada dels Minyons de Terassa in Terrassa in late November. There’s also a castle competition, the Concurs de Castells, which is held every two years in Tarragona, on the first Sunday of October.

The 2006 July festival in Mataró, Barcelona province, was marred by tragedy, when a 12 year old girl fell from the eighth storey as her colla was on the point of crowning a nine storey castell. She died the following month after two operations to try and save her life. She had two years of experience in the colla and had taken part in a number of eight storey castells.
The castellers have always said it’s not generally a risky activity, although injuries do happen. The last fatal accident before that was in 1981, with three deaths in 200 years of history.