Are you familiar with the Catalan (and North Valencian) cultural phenomenon of building human towers? This year’s winner (in October) was the city of Valls, located just north of the city of Tarragona, which constructed a tower of 10 people. In order to win, the key criteria are variation of the tower and the height. The strength and design of the construction depends on the number of people who will participate, how heavy they are and how much weight they can bear. The skilled participants are able to build their Castell in a very short period of time and deconstruct it again safely. It’s a matter of strength, concentration, courage, discipline, balance and trust. On this video you can see the winning group building their Castell.
A group of tower-builders is called a colla and the leader of the group is called the cap de colla. Note the clothes: each group has its own colour. They all wear a strap around their waist to support their back. There are no safety ropes, but the little ones wear a safety helmet and a mouth guard.
