Performance by two human-castle building groups as a demonstration of one of the oldest and most deeply rooted popular traditions in the Catalan Culture.
Castellers
Castells (human towers) are an
important part of Catalan folk
culture. The tradition involves
members of the group working
together to carry out a single
project: building a human tower.
Castellers de Vilafranca
The Castellers de Vilafranca is
one of the leading groups of its
kind. Established in 1948 the
group has now grown to include
more than four hundred people.
The Castellers de Vilafranca
pride themselves on their great
spirit of striving for excellence.
Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls
The oldest group of its kind,
dating back to 1801, during
the 19th century it was the only
one which managed to construct
all of the known human towers.
This solid age-old tradition was
interrupted by the Spanish Civil
War, but in 1946 the group
formed again. During all of these
years of ongoing activity, this
group has been at the forefront of
reviving mythical towers, setting
the standards for tradition, and
creating school in the art and
technique of building castells.