Castell
Encyclopedia
A castell is a human tower
built traditionally in festivals at many locations within Catalonia
, Spain
. At these festivals, several colles castelleres or teams often succeed in building and dismantling a tower's structure. On November 16, 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO
to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
.
, near the city of Tarragona
, in the southern part of Catalonia towards the end of the 18th century. Later it developed a following in other regions of Catalonia and, since 1981, when the first castell of 9 levels of the 20th century was built, it has become very popular in most of Catalonia and even the Balearic Islands
. The only 6 teams that have built complex gamma extra castells are from Valls
, Vilafranca del Penedès
, Terrassa
, Mataró
and Tarragona
.
the word castell means castle
.
A castell is considered a success when stages of its assembling and disassembling, can be done in complete succession. The assembly is complete once all castellers have climbed into their designated places, and the enxaneta climbs into place at the top and raises one hand with four fingers erect, in a gesture said to symbolize the stripes of the Catalan flag. The enxaneta then climbs down the other side of the castell, after which the remaining levels of castellers descend in highest-to-lowest order until all have reached safety.
Aside from the people who climb to form the upper parts of the tower, others are needed to form the pinya, or bottom base of the castell, to sustain its weight. Members of the pinya (most often men) also act as a 'safety net' if the tower structure collapses, cushioning the fall of people from the upper levels.
The castell is built in two phases. First, the pinya the base of the tower is formed. People forming higher levels of the tower move to a position from which they can easily get to their place in the tower. This is done slowly and carefully, and as subsequent base levels are completed the castellers in the pinya determine if their base is solid enough for construction to continue. Then, when the signal to proceed is given, bands begin to play the traditional Toc de Castells music as a hush comes over spectators of the event. The upper layers of the tower are built as quickly as possible in order to put minimal strain on the lower castellers, who bear most of the weight of the castell. The disassembly of the castell, done amidst the cheering of the crowd, is often the most treacherous stage of the event.
There is a form of the Castell, generally referred to as 'rising', in which each successive layer is added from the bottom by lifting the castell into the air, stage by stage. It is held that this form takes even more skill and strength and a great deal of practice. Four levels complete have been observed and five attempted, but it is said that the record is six or perhaps seven.
wear green shirts.
The sash (faixa) is the most important part of their outfit, since it supports the lower back and is used by other castellers in the team as a foothold or handhold when climbing up the tower. This tasselled piece of cloth varies in length and width and depends on the casteller's position inside the tower and also on choice. The length of the sash ranges from 1.5 to 12 m, and usually is shorter for those higher up in the castell. Performing castellers usually go barefoot as to minimise injures upon each other as they climb to their position and also for sensitivity when balancing and to have better feel and hold each other.
a young casteller fell off the formation of a castell and died. Prior to this, the previous death of a participant was in 1983 in Torredembarra
.
The motto of Castellers is "Força, equilibri, valor i seny" (Strength, balance, courage and reason).
Common terms indicating the number of people for each level of a tower:
Numbers of levels most commonly built:
Very high towers and ones with a small number of people on each level normally need extra support from the base or bottom levels. These base levels are frequently indicated as part of the name of the tower. Three kinds of base levels are most commonly used:
The word agulla ("needle") refers to a high column of one person per level which is built inside the main tower. When the castell is being dismantled, the agulla must remain standing until the outside part of the castell is already down.
Another aspect of castell nomenclature refers to how successfully the tower was completed. Four terms are used:
Human tower (gymnastic formation)
Human tower is a performance variation of gymnastic formation. Together with the human pyramid, it is exhibited frequently at the climax of the performance. In gymnastics, human tower is the highest and largest mounting. On the shoulder of the components of the base layer, put the feet of...
built traditionally in festivals at many locations within Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. At these festivals, several colles castelleres or teams often succeed in building and dismantling a tower's structure. On November 16, 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness on intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and the local people who sustain these forms of cultural...
.
Origin
The tradition of building castells originated in VallsValls
Valls is the capital of the comarca of Alt Camp, in Catalonia, Spain. The typical food is calçots and also typical are the human towers called castells...
, near the city of Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
, in the southern part of Catalonia towards the end of the 18th century. Later it developed a following in other regions of Catalonia and, since 1981, when the first castell of 9 levels of the 20th century was built, it has become very popular in most of Catalonia and even the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
. The only 6 teams that have built complex gamma extra castells are from Valls
Valls
Valls is the capital of the comarca of Alt Camp, in Catalonia, Spain. The typical food is calçots and also typical are the human towers called castells...
, Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès
Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca, is the capital of the comarca of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain. The Spanish spelling of the name, Villafranca del Penedés, is no longer in official use...
, Terrassa
Terrassa
Terrassa is a city in the east central region of Catalonia, Spain, in the comarca of Vallès Occidental, of which it is the co-capital along with Sabadell, the historic capital....
, Mataró
Mataró
Mataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, to the north-east of Barcelona. , it...
and Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
.
The Castell
In CatalanCatalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
the word castell means castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
.
A castell is considered a success when stages of its assembling and disassembling, can be done in complete succession. The assembly is complete once all castellers have climbed into their designated places, and the enxaneta climbs into place at the top and raises one hand with four fingers erect, in a gesture said to symbolize the stripes of the Catalan flag. The enxaneta then climbs down the other side of the castell, after which the remaining levels of castellers descend in highest-to-lowest order until all have reached safety.
Aside from the people who climb to form the upper parts of the tower, others are needed to form the pinya, or bottom base of the castell, to sustain its weight. Members of the pinya (most often men) also act as a 'safety net' if the tower structure collapses, cushioning the fall of people from the upper levels.
The castell is built in two phases. First, the pinya the base of the tower is formed. People forming higher levels of the tower move to a position from which they can easily get to their place in the tower. This is done slowly and carefully, and as subsequent base levels are completed the castellers in the pinya determine if their base is solid enough for construction to continue. Then, when the signal to proceed is given, bands begin to play the traditional Toc de Castells music as a hush comes over spectators of the event. The upper layers of the tower are built as quickly as possible in order to put minimal strain on the lower castellers, who bear most of the weight of the castell. The disassembly of the castell, done amidst the cheering of the crowd, is often the most treacherous stage of the event.
There is a form of the Castell, generally referred to as 'rising', in which each successive layer is added from the bottom by lifting the castell into the air, stage by stage. It is held that this form takes even more skill and strength and a great deal of practice. Four levels complete have been observed and five attempted, but it is said that the record is six or perhaps seven.
Attire
Typically castellers wear white trousers, a black sash, a bandana and a coloured shirt often bearing the team's emblem. A differently coloured shirt indicates which team a participant is in. For instance, Castellers de Barcelona team wear red shirts while Castellers de VilafrancaCastellers de Vilafranca
The Castellers de Vilafranca is a cultural and sporting association whose main objective is to build castells . It has the status of a public-interest association....
wear green shirts.
The sash (faixa) is the most important part of their outfit, since it supports the lower back and is used by other castellers in the team as a foothold or handhold when climbing up the tower. This tasselled piece of cloth varies in length and width and depends on the casteller's position inside the tower and also on choice. The length of the sash ranges from 1.5 to 12 m, and usually is shorter for those higher up in the castell. Performing castellers usually go barefoot as to minimise injures upon each other as they climb to their position and also for sensitivity when balancing and to have better feel and hold each other.
Structure
The arrangement of castellers can be into a multi-tiered structure and the highest has a height spanning of nine or ten people from ground up. Accidents are rare during the construction of a castell; however, as in bull runs, ambulances are stationed nearby in case a person needs immediate attention. Fatal accidents do occur where on August 6, 2006, in MataróMataró
Mataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, to the north-east of Barcelona. , it...
a young casteller fell off the formation of a castell and died. Prior to this, the previous death of a participant was in 1983 in Torredembarra
Torredembarra
Torredembarra is a small town in the comarca of the Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.- External links :***...
.
The motto of Castellers is "Força, equilibri, valor i seny" (Strength, balance, courage and reason).
- Strength: A casteller is usually a stocky person. The first castellers were peasants that were accustomed to holding great weights and were under much physical exertion.
- Balance: For supporting other above in the castell while relying on those below for support requires a strong sense of balance and trust.
- Courage: The most important characteristic for castellers, especially for young children forming the highest levels of the castell.
- Reason: Rehearsing and performing requires a great deal of planning and reasoning. Any error can cause the structure to fail and break apart.
Castell nomenclature
Castells are primarily described by number of people in each level and the total number of levels, and sometimes also by a style of formation. Levels are composed of between one and five individuals standing on the shoulders of the level below.Common terms indicating the number of people for each level of a tower:
- Pilar (Eng. "pillar"): one person per level
- Torre ("tower"): two people per level
- Tres : three people per level
- Quatre : four people per level
- Cinc : five people per level
Numbers of levels most commonly built:
- Sis : six levels high
- Set : seven levels
- Vuit : eight levels
- Nou : nine levels
- Deu : ten levels
Very high towers and ones with a small number of people on each level normally need extra support from the base or bottom levels. These base levels are frequently indicated as part of the name of the tower. Three kinds of base levels are most commonly used:
- Pinya ("bulk"): the ground-level base, often composed of several hundred people. All towers have this, but it is never mentioned in the name.
- Folre ("cover"/"lining"): a second-level base built on top of the pinya. It is always mentioned when used.
- Manilles ("handles"/"handcuffs"): a third-level base built on top of the second-level folre. It is always mentioned when used.
The word agulla ("needle") refers to a high column of one person per level which is built inside the main tower. When the castell is being dismantled, the agulla must remain standing until the outside part of the castell is already down.
Another aspect of castell nomenclature refers to how successfully the tower was completed. Four terms are used:
- Descarregat : the tower is completed to the top and successfully dismantled
- Carregat : the tower is completed to the top, but falls during dismantling
- Intent : a failed attempt before it is completed to the top
- Intent desmuntat : the tower is not completed to the top, but is successfully dismantled (in case of a predictable fall)
Examples
- Pilar de sis: one person per level in a tower of six levels. If nothing else is mentioned, this means that the tower had the bottom base-level pinya (as always) and was successfully dismantled (descarregat).
- Torre de set: two people per level in a tower of seven stories.
- Cinc de nou amb folre: five people at each level in a tower of nine levels, with a second-level folre built on top of the base-level pinya.
- Quatre de vuit amb agulla: four people at each level in a tower of eight levels, with an interior agulla.
- Tres de deu amb folre i manilles: three people per level in a tower of ten levels, with a second-level folre and a third-level manilles.
Castellers
- cap de colla ("band leader"): The head of each team, who decides which castells the team is ready to attempt and directs the construction of the castells from the ground. The cap de colla is always accompanied by a number of assistants and advisers.
- cap de pinya one of the band leaders's assistants who takes particular responsibility for the allocation of places in the pinya, ensuring even force is applied to the base of the castell. The cap de pinya will allocate first, second and third hands, first and second dice, laterals etc. depending on the size of the castell.
- pom de dalt ("top bunch"): The top three levels of the castell: dosos, aixecador, and enxaneta.
- dosos ("the twos"): The level sustaining and locked together by the aixecador and surmounted by the enxenata. Generally kids.
- aixecador ("riser"): The person who helps lock together the dosos so providing a stable platform for the enxaneta who stands astride the aixecador. Almost always a child.
- enxaneta ("rider") : The topmost casteller, a child.
"Colles castelleres"
- Capgrossos de Mataró
- Castellers de VilafrancaCastellers de VilafrancaThe Castellers de Vilafranca is a cultural and sporting association whose main objective is to build castells . It has the status of a public-interest association....
- Castellers de la Vila de GràciaCastellers de la Vila de GràciaThe Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia , created in 1996, are a colla castellera, based in Vila de Gràcia that makes human castles. The colour of their shirts is navy blue....
- Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls
- Colla Vella Xiquets de Valls
- Minyons de Terrassa
- Bordegassos de Vilanova
- Castellers de Caldes de Montbui
- Castellers d'Esplugues
- Castellers de Sants
- Castellers de Barcelona
- Castellers de Mollet
- Colla Castellera Jove de Barcelona
- Nois de la Torre
- Colla Jove de l'Hospitalet
- Colla Castellera Nyerros de la Plana
- Marrecs de Salt
- Xiquets de Tarragona
- Tirallongues de Manresa
- Castellers de Cornellà
- Castellers de Rubí
- Castellers de Castelldefels
- Torraires de Montblanc
- Castellers d'Altafulla
- Colla Jove Xiquets de Vilafranca
- Nens del Vendrell
- Moixiganguers d'Igualada
- Castellers de Sant Cugat
- Sagals d'Osona
- Margeners de Guissona
- Matossers de Molins de Rei
- Castellers de Santa Coloma
- Colla Castellera de Figueres
- Castellers de la Sagrada Família
- Castellers de Cerdanyola
- Minyons de l'Arboç
- Castellers de Badalona
- Castellers del Riberal
- Castellers d'Esparreguera
- Xics de Granollers
- Al.lots de Llevant
- Castellers de Solsona
- Castellers de Caldes
See also
- MuixerangaMuixerangaThe Muixeranga is the collective name given to the performance of ancient street dances and human castles, originating in the Valencian Community, which are still preserved in the town of Algemesí, 30 km southwest from Valencia....
, ancient street dances and human castles - Govinda sportGovinda sportGovinda or Dahi Handi is a sport organized on Krishna Janmashtami to celebrate the birth of Krishna. It is very popular in Mumbai and surrounding area of Thane....
, a similar tradition in India - Human towersHuman tower (gymnastic formation)Human tower is a performance variation of gymnastic formation. Together with the human pyramid, it is exhibited frequently at the climax of the performance. In gymnastics, human tower is the highest and largest mounting. On the shoulder of the components of the base layer, put the feet of...
and Human pyramidHuman pyramidA human pyramid is a type of gymnastic formation in which the participants kneel together in a row or other formation, forming a base for another tier of participants who stand or kneel on their shoulders, backs or thighs. A human pyramid is very difficult to make. In case that the participants...
s of gymnastic formationGymnastic formationGymnastic formation is a collective art based on gymnastic expressed by 30 to 5000 figurants using only human bodies without instruments. It is commonly presented in Japanese schools as a part of physical education curriculum. The expression of the collective beauty based on force, passion, and...
, a collective art based on gymnastics, present in Japanese schools
External links
- Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya (Official Association of Casteller Teams)
- Human Towers! – slideshow by Life magazine
- lapinya.cat, a Castells forum
- Castellers de Vilafranca
- Castellers de Barcelona (English language)
- Visually informative video by by Mike Randolph, a freelance journalist living in Spain