Castellers de Vilafranca
If you are lucky enough to be in Catalonia during the summer, then try and
find a fiesta where there is a display by the Castellers de Vilafranca.
To discover why Catalans have such a terrifying fascination with building
human pyramids, or towers, one has to go back to the 17th century, when a
Valencian dance, the Ball de Valencians, involving quite a small number of
people balancing on each other’s shoulders, was popular. It is this dance that
has gradually evolved into the current tradition.
It was around Tarragona and Penedès that the castles became most prevalent –
we know, for instance, that as far back as 1805 there were two rival groups
making towers in Valls, the capital of the Alt Camp area in the Camp de
Tarragona. These two groups – the farmers and the craftsmen – formed the basis
of today’s Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls.
Although there have been the inevitable times when the tradition has faded
somewhat, during the last twenty or so years it has developed into a major
contemporary phenomenon, with many groups all over Catalonia and, indeed, other
parts of Spain such as the Balearic Islands. Most Catalan towns now have their
own team or Colla, comprising of men, women and children, who compete against
each other to try to construct the highest tower.
The Castellers form themselves into a solid base foundation of compact bodies
– joining arms and hands together in an especially intricate manner that will
help support all those who are to climb above them – which, after all, could be
several tones of weight. On this foundation, layers and layers of people are
constructed – each standing on the shoulders of the people beneath them. The
very pinnacle of the tower is made up of children of about 10 or 12 years old
and the whole structure is complete when a youngster waves to the crowd standing
at the top. It is not uncommon for the castles to be 9 ‘storeys’ high and last
year the Minyons de Terrassa completed one that was 10 people tall.
Dismantling the towers can be as dangerous as actually constructing them in
the first place and ‘collapses’ are not uncommon. Another of the benefits of the
solid foundation, though, is that the bodies there help soften the fall
somewhat.
As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, the most famous of all the
groups of Castellers originate from Vilafranca del Penedès and they can often be
seen, in their distinctive green shirts, performing throughout Catalonia during
the summer. Their own major festival, however, the Festa Major, dedicated to the
town’s patron, Saint Felix, is held at the end of August each year.
Established only in 1948, the Castellers of Vilafranca have more than 400
active tower-building members and they regularly construct terrifying, trembling
human towers, accompanied by the traditional Catalan music of the Grallers- the
gralla is a high-pitched wind instrument - and a cacophony of noise from the
hundreds of people surrounding them. At the Festival of Saint Felix, though,
they, along with other groups of castellers, have a week long celebration of
building the various kinds of castle it is possible to devise. Under the
direction of their Cap de
Colla, as the team leader is known, the Castellers of
Vilafranca might even try to replicate their ‘torre de nou amb folre’ of 2005 –
which still remains the most difficult and dangerous tower ever constructed.
Catalan festivals are amongst the very wildest in Spain. One can anticipate
concerts, theatrical performances, recitals, fairs, ear-splitting firework
displays, giant figures, typical Catalan dances – sardanas – and parties that
last all night to blend in with the next day’s activities.
At the heart of them all, however, are the compelling spectacles of Castellers
enjoying their death-defying pastime. This truly is a remarkable experience.
More Information:
Castellers de Vilafranca (Wikipedia)
Castellers de
Vilafranca - Where are they performing? (in Catalan)
Catalonia Tourist Information
Catalonia Tourism |
