Castellers

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Three colles castelleres performing in Baó. This simple structure of just one person per level is not considered a castell, and is rather called pilar.

Castellers are the people who belong to a colla castellera (team) devoted to making castells (human towers) during traditional festivals in the Catalan Countries.

Their typical clothes consist of white trousers, a black sash, a bandana and a colored shirt bearing the team's emblem. While performing they usually go barefoot so that they do not hurt the other castellers as they climb and so that they have more sensitivity in their feet.

The sash is the most important part of their outfit, since it supports the lower part back and is very useful to other castellers as a foothold or handhold when climbing up the tower. This piece of cloth varies in length and width depending on the casteller's position inside the tower and also on personal taste. Its length can range from 1.5 to 8 meters, and it is usually shorter for those higher up in the castell.

The castellers arrange themselves into a multi-tiered structure or tower, sometimes as high as nine or ten people. A young child known as the enxanetathen climbs to the top of the tower. Accidents are unusual during the construction of a castell. However, they do occur, and on August 6, 2006, in Matarò a young casteller fell off the castell she was forming and died. Before this, the last fatal accident was in 1981 in Torredembarra.

Castellers have a motto: "Strength, balance, courage and reason".

Strength: A castaller is usually a corpulent person. The first castellers were peasants who were accustomed to holding great weights and much physical exhertion.
Balance: To support those above you in the castell while relying on those below you for support requires a strong sense of balance and trust in others.
Courage: The most important characteristic for castellers, especially among the young children that form the highest levels.
Reason: In planning, rehearsal and performance requires a great deal of planning and reason. Any error can make the structure fall down.

In Catalan the word castell means castle, although a castell with two persons per level is a torre (tower) and is usually called a pilar if it consists of just one person per level.

The tradition originated in Catalonia; more specifically, in the south, near the city of Tarragona. The tradition later spread to other regions of Catalonia, and has become very popular. However, the best and most skilled castellers are still found near Tarragona.

[edit] Castellers' name by their position

Castells are mainly described by the number of people standing at the base and the number of levels. The ground level (pinya) is the first level, and the top three levels are normally different from the rest (see pom de dalt below).

pinya (bulk): The densely arranged crowd of people at the base of the tower. Here is where most of the people are. Its function is to sustain the second level, lighten the weight on the basement people and to soften the impact if anyone falls.
enxaneta (rider): The topmost child.
aixecador (riser): The person sustaining the enxaneta.
dosos (seconds): The level sustaining the aixecador.
pom de dalt (bunch from the top): The top three levels of the castell: dosos, aixecador, and enxaneta.
folre (cover): A group of people standing on the pinya and sustaining the third level.
manilles (cover): A group of people standing on the folre and sustaining the fourth level.
agulla (needle): A tower with one person per floor (pilar) formed inside the castell, which when the castell is being undone has to remain standing until the outside part of the castell is already down.
cap de colla (leader): The head of each team, who decides which castells the team is ready to try, and acts as a director for the construction of the castells from the ground. He is always accompanied by many assistants and advisers.