If you are walking around a festive day in Barcelona or a festive day in some village around the city don’t be surprised if you see a human tower: they are Castellers and they are doing Castells.
The Castells are human towers that has a history of 200 years; they were originated on the south of Catalonia, and were recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by Unesco in 2010. The literal translation of Castells in english are Castles. Therefore, the main idea of this tradition is to do Castles trough human towers.
Although, castells are something more than a folkloric tradition. Are a way to be better and is a way to integrate many different people (with different jobs, different ages) in a common challenge. Is for that reason that the official slogan of the castells is “força, equilibri, valor i seny” — strength, balance, courage and common sense.
In a Castell, all members are important. If someone fails, the Castell will fail. However, there is a person that becomes especially relevant: “Anxaneta”. It is a child that arrives at the top of the Castell and this is the magical moment that a Castell is done.
The video we share with you shows some of the magic of this tradition, but if you came to Barcelona, we invite you to look it by yourself. You will not forget ever.
In our website, also you can find a Construction toy that enables to explore creativity and imagination of Castells. This set is made up of 40 wooden pieces with an original shape which allows to build real castells (human towers).