Castells

A large sport in Catalunya is the Castells. This is the tradition of building the largest human tower possible and disassembling it without anyone falling. This sport is open to anyone within the community, from men, women and children. While it is a symbol of unity and community within the Catalan culture, it is also a competitive sport that can be watched all around Catalunya in it has now grown internationally. These towers can be made during cultural festivals and during competitions. The tower creation requires near silence of the audience as a traditional flute is played to tell the castelleres where in formation they are, and they need to be able to hear eachother tell what is needed next. As the tower builds, generally smaller and lighter people continue up. Seeing these towers being built in person by professionals was an amazing experience. I’d witnessed them at the Correfoc where they had made the Castells three separate times, with the next being larger than the last. Seeing the bystanders gather around the base to create an extra cushion was truly amazing and showed me how important they felt others were and their community.