The Catalan-speaking world Castell in Barcelona, at Plaça Sant Jaume. Language Grammar Phonology and orthography Institut d'Estudis Catalans Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua History History of Catalonia · Counts of Barcelona Crown of Aragon · Military history of Catalonia Catalan constitutions · Furs of Valencia Treaty of the Pyrenees · Nueva Planta decrees Geography Catalan Countries Catalonia · Valencia · Balearic Islands Northern Catalonia · Franja de Ponent Andorra · L'Alguer · Carxe Government and Politics Generalitat de Catalunya Generalitat Valenciana Govern de les Illes Balears Consell General de les Valls (Andorra) Politics of Catalonia Catalan nationalism Blaverism Traditions Castells · Correfoc · Falles · Sardana ·  Moros i cristians · Caganer · Tió de Nadal Myths and legends Arts Catalan literature · Antoni Gaudí · Modernisme La Renaixença · Noucentisme Salvador Dalí · Joan Miró · Antoni Tàpies This box: view • talk • edit

A castell is a human tower traditionally built during festivals in many places in Catalonia, Spain. At these festivals, several colles castelleres (teams) meet and try to build the most impressive towers they can. The term Castell can mean: Castells are human towers traditionally built during festivals in many places in Catalonia. ... Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra, and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia , and in the city of LAlguer in the Italian island of Sardinia. ... Image File history File links 4_de_9_amb_folre. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Catalan grammar is the grammar of the Catalan language. ... // Diachronical Phonological Features in Relation to Latin Several characteristic features of Catalan as a Romance language: Like Occitan, loss of Latin final unstressed vowels, except -a; and then after some of the resulting consonantic groups a support vowel appears, e. ... The Institut dEstudis Catalans (IEC) is an academic institution. ... The Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (Valencian Academy of Language) is an institution created on September 16, 1998, which depends on the Presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana. ... The territory that now constitutes the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain, and the adjoining Catalan region of France, was first settled during the Middle Palaeolithic. ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain - Visigoths - Al-Andalus - Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Transition to Democracy Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History... Coat of arms of the King of Aragon, 15th century. ... // The origins of the military force in Catalonia, soar to the 13th century, with the Sagramental, the fraternity among several villages to guarantee their own security, made through oath, due to this so called. ... // Origin: The Corts of Barcelona The Catalan constitutions were promulgated by the Corts of Barcelona (corts being the Catalan for courts). ... Furs of Valencia (Furs de València, in Catalan) were the laws of the Kingdom of Valencia during most of Middle Ages and Early modern Europe. ... The Treaty of the Pyrenees was a treaty signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years War. ... The Nueva Planta decrees (Spanish:Decretos de Nueva Planta, Catalan: Decrets de Nova Planta) were a number of decrees signed between 1707 and 1716 by Philip V—the first Bourbon king of Spain—shortly after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. ... The terms Catalan Countries (Catalan: Països Catalans) or Catalanofonia (quite similar, in the linguistic sense, to the French Francophonie, the Portuguese Lusofonia or the Spanish Hispanophone) includes all the territories where the Catalan language is spoken. ... Anthem: Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan,Spanish and Aranese. ... Capital Valencia Official language(s) Valencian and Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 8th  23,255 km²  4. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official language(s) Spanish and Catalan Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4,992 km²  1. ... Northern Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya Nord; Spanish: Cataluña del Norte o Cataluña Transpirenaica; French: Catalogne Nord or Pays Catalan) is the name mainly used by the Catalan-speaking community to refer to the part of the historic Principality of Catalonia that came under French governance through the signing of... Language distribution in Aragon Map of Catalan Countries with current political borders Franja de Ponent (IPA: ; Catalan for Western Strip), Francha de Lebán (Aragonese for Eastern Strip), Franja de Aragón, or simply La Franja, refers to four comarques in the east of the Autonomous Community of Aragon, which... Alghero (LAlguer in Catalan and SAlighèra in Sardinian), is a town of about 35,000 inhabitants (down from 54,300 inhabitants since early 20th century) in Italy. ... Carxe is a city in Spain. ... The Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia ) is the institution in which the self-government of Catalonia is politically organised. ... Capital Valencia Official languages Valencian (Catalan) and Spanish (Castilian) Area  – total  – % of Spain Ranked 8th  23 255 km²  4,6% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 4th  4 326 708  10,3%  186,05/km² Demonym  – English  – Valencian  – Spanish  Valencian  valenci... National motto: Virtus Unita Fortior (Latin: Virtue united is stronger) Official language: Catalan Capital:  - Population:  - Coordinates: Andorra la Vella 22,035 (1990 est. ... The General Council of the Valleys (in Catalan, Consell General de les Valls) is the unicameral parliament of Andorra. ... This is the main article about the politic activity in Catalonia. ... Catalan nationalism, or Catalanism, is a political movement that advocates for an increased political autonomy of Catalonia, if not independence itself, from Spain and France. ... Blaverism (Valencian: blaverisme. ... Correfocs in Barcelona Catalonias festivals and traditions unify Catalan society and help to give it its particular character. ... Traditional Saragüells costume for the men. ... The sardana (Catalan plural sardanes) is a type of circle dance typical of Catalonia. ... Parade of a Christian filà of Moros i Cristians festival in Alcoi (Alacant). ... A traditional Catalan caganer from the back. ... The Tió de Nadal (roughly Christmas log), also known as Tió or Tronca (log), is a mythological character in Catalan mythology relating to a Christmas tradition widespread in Catalonia. ... Catalan myths and legends are the traditional myths and legends of the Catalan-speaking world, especially Catalonia itself, passed down for generations as part of that regions popular culture. ... Catalan-language writers Gabriel Alomar Vicent Andrés Estellés Pere Calders Salvador Espriu i Castelló Joan Fuster Manuel de Pedrolo i Molina J.V. Foix Maria de la Pau Janer Joan Maragall i Gorina Miquel Martí i Pol Jesús Moncada Jesús Montcada i Estruga Quim Monzó Teresa... Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (Riudoms or Reus, 25 June 1852 – Barcelona, 10 June 1926) – sometimes referred to by the Spanish translation of his name, Antonio Gaudí – was a Spanish architect from Catalonia, who belonged to the Modernisme (Art Nouveau) movement and was famous for his unique style and highly individualistic... Modernisme in Catalan, (not to be confused with modernism) is the Catalan variant of Art Nouveau. ... The Renaixença was a late 19th century romantic revivalist movement in Catalan language and culture. ... Noucentisme (noucentista being its adjective) is a Catalan cultural movement of the early 20th century that originated largely as a reaction against Modernisme, both in art and ideology, and was, simultaneously, a perception of art almost opposite to that of avantgardists. ... Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí y Domènech, Marquis of Pubol (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), was a Spanish (Catalan) surrealist painter. ... Joan Miró photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, June, 1935 Joan Miró i Ferrà (April 20, 1893 – December 25, 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramist born in Catalonia, Spain. ... Antoni Tàpies (born in Barcelona, December 23, 1923) is a Catalan painter. ... Anthem: Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan,Spanish and Aranese. ...

Origin

This tradition originated in the southern part of Catalonia at the end of the XVIII century. More specifically in Valls, near the city of Tarragona. The tradition later spread to other regions of Catalonia and even Mallorca, and has become very popular. However, the best and most skilled castellers are still found near Tarragona. Valls is the capital of the comarca of Alt Camp, in the province of Tarragona, Spain. ... Tarragona (IPA: in Catalan) is a city located in the south of Catalonia, northeastern Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. ... Location Location of Mallorca in Balearic Islands Coordinates : 39° 30’N , 3°0E Time Zone : CET (UTC+1) - summer: CEST (UTC+2) General information Native name Mallorca (Catalan) Spanish name Mallorca Postal code 07001-07691 Area code 34 (Spain) + 971 (Illes Balears) Website http://www. ...

The castell

A castell is considered a success when it is properly assembled and dismantled, that is, when everyone has climbed into place, the enxaneta (the last one) climbs up to the top, raises one hand (with four fingers erect, said to symbolize the stripes of the Catalan flag), climbs down the other side of the castell, and then everyone else comes down safely.

Besides the people who actually climb, many are also needed to form the pinya (the base of the castell). They help sustain the weight and act as a sort of safety net.

Attire

Typical clothing consists of white trousers, a black sash, a bandana and a colored shirt bearing the team's emblem. Performing castellers usually go barefoot so that they do not hurt each other 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 enxaneta then 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 Mataró a young casteller fell off the castell she was forming and died. Before this, the last fatal accident was in 1981 in Torredembarra. “Mataro” redirects here. ...

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

• Strength: A casteller is usually a stocky person. The first castellers were peasants who were accustomed to holding great weights and much physical exertion.
• 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.

Terminology

In Catalan the word castell means castle, although a castell with two persons per level is a torre (tower). A castell with one person per level is usually called a pilar. Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra, and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia , and in the city of LAlguer in the Italian island of Sardinia. ... For other uses, see Castle (disambiguation). ...

Castells are described by number of people who make up each of the levels, as well as the number of levels. The people standing on the ground (the pinya) make up the first level, and the top three levels are normally different from the rest (see pom de dalt below). In the image, for instance, a 4 de 9 is depicted, because there are four people making up most of the levels, and the tower is nine levels high.

The elements a castell may consist of are as follows:

• pinya (bulk): The densely arranged crowd of castellers 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 those who form the foundation and to soften the impact of anyone falling.
• enxaneta (rider) : The topmost child.
• aixecador (riser): The person sustaining the enxaneta.
• dosos (seconds): The level sustaining the aixecador.
• pom de dalt (top bunch): 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 level (pilar) inside the castell. When the castell is being dismantled, the agulla must 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.

Castells up to 10 levels have been built.

See also

• Muixeranga
• Dahi Handi

Depicting a morera (mulberry tree) The Muixeranga (pronounced mooh-eeh-sheh-rang-gah, IPA ) is the collective name given to the performance of ancient street dances and human castles, originating in the Land of Valencia, which are still preserved in the town of Algemesí, 30 km southwest from Valencia. ... Krishna Janmaashtami (Devanagari कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी) , also known as Krishnaashtami, Gokulaashtami, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanthi or sometimes merely as Janmaashtami, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. ...

External links

• Castellers de Barcelona (English language)
• spanien-katalonien site with photographs and video of castell construction

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Casteller