Guide to Barcelona

human towers

Wednesday, 26 August 2009 12:04

In and Around Barcelona

A Casteller is a person who forms part of a human tower, or Castell, a tradition typical of certain catalan regions, in particular Tarragonès, Alt Camp, Alt Penedés and Baix Penedés. The tradition has spread through the whole of catalunya and is very popular, with human towers being a staple of many fiestas.

The castellers are of all ages and physical complexions, who train year round and participate in competitions and demonstrations. Generally, those at the top of the human tower are children, protected with helmets.

The towers are made up of various parts:

• La pinya is the base of the castle, where the majority of the castellers support the tower.
• El tronc is the visible part, and determines the difficulty according to the structure and height. The upper part of the tronc is made up of two castellers.
• El Folre is situated above la Pinya to support the tronc and raise the tower up a level, it has nearly the same  structure as the pinya.
• Las manillas are the castellers positioned on top of the folre to reinforce the tronc.

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