Castellers

The human towers famous to Catalonia, the Castell, are a great tradition that has been practiced for many years.  Castell, in Catalan, means “castle”.  This custom is an event that involves the building of a multi-level human tower.  Those who take part in such climbing are trained and practice together in order to form a cohesive group that can be successful.  Towers can vary in the number of people and levels, but in general, the trend is that the bigger, stronger people end up at the bottom, and the smaller, more agile people are assigned the role of climbing to the top.  The person who crowns the Castell is usually a young child, who must raise his or her hand in order to signify completion of the tower.  A few years ago, the child who was supposed to climb all the way to the top of the tower actually fell and died, and since then, all of the children who perform this position wear a helmet for safety and head protection.  While the towers are a fun tradition to watch from afar, I certainly don’t think I would let my children participate in such an activity.  The towers seem very dangerous, and although people practice nonstop in order to be successful, there are a variety of things that can occur and get in the way of such success.  In addition to the actual nerve-racking talent involved in human towers is the garb.  While clothing colors and styles may vary, the general trend is the presence of the sash that is wrapped tightly around participants’ waists and gives them a sense of sturdiness and balance.  I can’t figure out exactly how it works, but something about the tight quality of the sash definitely seems to make these people’s jobs a lot easier.  When I went to see a human tower, I actually accidentally went to a human tower practice that was inside a building.  The website broadcasted it as a show, but instead, it was an informal trial run.  Nevertheless, it was very interesting to see these locals in their preparatory stages of the towers.  At one point, a lady approached my friends and me and asked us to come downstairs and actually participate by being buffers at the edge of the tower base and helping to push inwards and provide support.  We tried to help but were a little bit lost in our responsibilities.  Being so close to all of the action allowed me to see these Castelleres from a different point of view.  It was really amazing to watch such a range of people, as young as 6 and 7, participating with people who could be their parents and grandparents.  It just goes to show you that when tradition and a common goal are given to a group, everyone will work hard to pull their weight and make it happen.  This experience opened my eyes to the true value of tradition in Catalonia and how deeply engrained it is in its people.