Castells: human towers

How a tower rises

1. la pinya The base forms Hundreds of people pack together at the bottom. Anyone is welcome in the pinya; it is the crowd that supports the tower and catches whoever falls.
2. la gralla The music starts A loud wooden pipe, the gralla, plays as the tower begins to rise, setting the rhythm of the climb.
3. el tronc The trunk goes up People climb onto one another's shoulders in six to ten stages. The higher the level, the lighter the person.
4. la enxaneta The child reaches the top A small boy or girl climbs right to the top and raises a hand. The square has been silent; now it applauds.
5. bajar It comes down The tower is dismantled in order. If it falls, the pinya protects those who fall; the children wear helmets.

• A castell is a tower made of people; the groups that build them are called colles.
• At the bottom hundreds of people form a base called the pinya; UNESCO describes it as the throng that supports the tower, which anyone is welcome to join.
• Castellers climb onto one another's shoulders in a succession of six to ten stages; the tallest towers have ten levels of people.
• The gralla, a wind instrument, plays before, during and after the tower, setting the rhythm it is built to.
• A small child climbs to the very top — the enxaneta — and raises a hand; then the crowd applauds.
• If the tower falls, the pinya protects those who fall; the children wear helmets.

Un castell es una torre hecha de personas.

A castell is a tower made of people.

Abajo, cientos de personas forman una base que se llama la pinya.

At the bottom, hundreds of people form a base called the pinya.

Arriba del todo sube un niño o una niña pequeña.

Right at the very top climbs a small boy or girl.

Cuando llega, levanta una mano y todo el público aplaude.

When the child gets there, he or she raises a hand and the whole crowd applauds.

Where, when and why

Castells belong to Catalonia. They are raised as part of annual town festivals, traditionally in the square in front of the town hall balcony, by amateur groups — colles — whose members practise together all year. Castell is Catalan for castle (Spanish castillo), and the vocabulary of the towers is Catalan: pinya for the base, tronc for the trunk, enxaneta for the child on top.

The skill is passed down inside the colles and can only be learned by doing. UNESCO inscribed the human towers on its Representative List of intangible cultural heritage in 2010.

• Castells are usually performed as part of annual festivities in Catalan towns and cities; the traditional setting is the square in front of the town hall balcony.
• They are built by members of amateur groups; the knowledge is passed down within the groups and can only be learned by practice.
• Castells have been on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2010.
• Castell is Catalan for castle; Catalan is spoken in Catalonia alongside Spanish.

En Cataluña hay una tradición muy especial: los castells.

In Catalonia there is a very special tradition: the castells.

Desde 2010, los castells son Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Since 2010, castells have been part of the Heritage of Humanity.

The words of the square

la torre

the tower

el hombro

the shoulder

el piso

a level, a tier

el casco

the helmet

el público

the crowd, the audience

Cuanto más alto es el piso, más ligeras son las personas.

The higher the level, the lighter the people.

Mientras suben, la plaza está en silencio.

While they climb, the square is silent.

Si la torre cae, la pinya protege a los que caen.

If the tower falls, the pinya protects those who fall.