A new program in the Spanish Television, named “Spain flush with sky”, has shown us how many residents of Villafranca del Penedés (Barcelona, North eastern Spain) try to beat a world record: to build the highest human castle in history.
The program is presented by Francis Lorenzo and this time a part of the program starts so:
Francis Lorenzo: “I am in Villafranca del Penedés. Today is “Saint Félix”: day of the great party, and here parties are very particular, because huge castles are built; but they are not made of sand, either of stone, but they are made of persons; we are going to see it as we never saw it…..flush with sky.
The history of this land tells us that human castles began to lift in the eighteenth century. The people of that time performed a dance with torches, which reproduced the movement of a snake, which ended with a human tower in honor of the Virgin. With the passage of time, the dance disappeared, while the Castells were doing highest and were converted into a single show in the world.
I am in Villafranca del Penedés to know one of the most unique buildings in the city: The Colla Head of Villafranca Castellars (Castles). They have 68 years of tradition, is one of the most important of which have been awarded more. They make human towers of great height and large tonnage. How do it them?.
The Colla of the Villafranca del Penedés….(Note: a Colla is a group of people who try to build a human tower) raise castles of maximum difficulty level; to achieve these difficult challenges, they train 3 times a week throughout the year; today they will try harder still, their goal is to lift the highest human tower in the world .... and I will help them to get it.
……………..
Francis go close to a group and says: “Hello…what a gladness knowing you……How are you?.....Today is an important day…I, who am a new one in this… I want you to tell me: What is a “Castellets”?”.
A guy: “There are different types of buildings and it consists of who gets the more difficult building…more merit has…”
Francis: “Have you begun for yourself ... did you come drawn by your kids or by whom?”
The guy´s father: “I came one day to test ... and I was hooked….; it is almost 22 years…”
Another son: “It is how my father says: you come….and you are hooked…”
Francis: “You have been dragging each other, Right?....And suddenly you arrive and…What?"
The daughter: “Well…, because I came with my uncles since I was a child, here to test…they bring me…and I have spealnt most seven years here”
Francis: “And today how you get up, a morning like this one, when you know you have to make the big castle, we have to get it…”
The other son: “I will answer you with a question: How do you get up if you had to play a Final of the Championship….?”
Francis: “I…affraid…”
The other guy: “But I am same than you…”….”We never got it….we have prepared all the year, all the year, intensely, to get to this day and we have corrected many errors of the past, to complete it; now, more than ever, we are prepared mentally and physically”
Francis: “Because as I see you.., today you will get it…”
The father: “God hear you….!”
Francis: “I tell you yes…..Hopefully I can live it….”
………………………………..
Francis: “Seen from the outside, it seems that people are stacked one above the other, just to build a human tower; but it is not so…, the Casteller, Raúl Tudela explains us how difficult is to raise a “Castell””
Raúl: “It is a human architecture ... like the drawings of a building, but we have some shots of the position of each one, for each person, with name ... where it goes .. the position that they have ..., there is a core , which must be practically perfect ...”
Francis: “As if it was a building…, that is: first I have to put a foundation ...”
Raúl: “Yes, yes…practically the same, but….with humans…”
Francis: “Today is an important day; today is a day in which you are going to bring an important challenge, that is very difficult to achieve…”
Raúl: “Very difficult…”
Francis: “Very special..”
Raúl: “Yes, for example today we will tray the “Three of ten”, that is a very complex structure, because it has a base, which is "the pinya", then takes another base, which is “the folre”, which is a second pinya, and then a third, which are the handles, which is another base which carries at the top and, from here the castle begins. It's a castle, which has a lot of pressure, down, and if you have not a good base it end opening”.
Francis “But hopefully we build a large building today…”
Raúl: “To see if it's true”
Francis: “But already they have told us in what a casttelet consists and how it is done…But today is a very important day for them, because as the first time, they are going to try a “Three of ten”; that is: a tower of ten floors with three persons in each one; and…Do you know who is going to up there above….?....but a girl…..”
Raúl: “Well…we are going to make the last test: the test of “The three of ten”
A girl: “I am Mariona and I am ten years old. I am enxaneta and when I go up I do not think in anything…I only want to arrive up”
Raúl: “All prepared and focused. Be tranquil and the acting will start”
Francis: “Before these catellers children another one there were. Those children who climbed up the backs of their elders have grown, like Jordi Bustos: in 1987 he was the first “Einxeneta” who got to cap a nine human tower heights. How old were you?”
Jordi: “Then I was ten years old”
Francis: “Well…a little bit time has spent…perhaps…”
Jordi: “A little bit….Now I am about to do 36…”
Francis: “And how was that..”
Jordi: “A unique experience…At that time castles of nine were not made like they are now and it was the largest castle which then could be done”
Francis: “What does a child of that age think when he comes up, who gets it?”
Jordi: “When we fell, because we fell ... I began to cry and they took me to the Red Cross, because they thought that I had hurt, and wept with emotion”
Francis: “How was your process?, One continues to participate in the Colla ... the have crowned ... but over the years What you doing?”
Jordi: “You are losing ground ..., I participate in holding down the castles of the castle .... of course .. is ... completely different feeling, because I see the castle .. I hear people how squeals. .. "
Francis: “That is very lucky and the girl can be completed as you have completed ... And if she crys and carry on ambulance, it is with joy….”
Jordi: “Thank you very much”
Francis: “Being part of a Colla involves much more than support the weight of several people, among its members set something like a bond, a special human connection ... well ... better explains me one of the protagonists .. .: David Tudela….. What does it mean for you socially?”
David: “It is a great family… It exudes a humanity very great, the good thing is that ... there is no age, no sex, no class, no religion . it is like a commune ....., all these differences are separated .. ,we are all a part of a common project ... there are many emotions in here ....: frustration, sometimes, joyies, victories, defeats, .. and when you lose so much adrenaline ... you are hooked "
Francis: “And if you get the energy of the people, then up there you feel it….., you feel …”
David: “First of all you feel silence…, It tries to make a silence in the square.., It tries to make a silence in the square, everyone focused ... you stand .... stop that ... that nervousness that you have it is in control by you. And once you are up, you try to stay focused, it is difficult, very difficult; but, when you get down ...., all that excitement you have had of emotions, the hit single "
Francis: “I think today I will have a very exciting day, telling me these things and I'm loading of emotions ....; goodbye so before, I would like you to give me a hug, because what you just told me I just to touch the heart and are willing to get it. It has been a pleasure "
David: “Equally. Live it long…”
Francis: “Of course, I am going to live it deeply, I assure you”
David: “And we can convey all these emotions, to you and the rest of Spain”
Francis: “I hope so,because they are arriving to me “
……..”In the central square, the “Castellers” of Villafranca ; but there is no time to lose, immediately they start to prepare what it can be the human castle highest in history…and I will contribute with my little grain of sand, in this special time in which we will see if they can break the world record………… I am in position ... I have to hold on to them ... I have been admitted ..., I have been admitted to form part….I hope I will give all I have, the best I have… because they go ... it is .. it is the key moment ................................... They can fulfill the dream that lead all year ... working and rehearsing to get it ... they will make a "3-10" ... is a time of stress, we have to lower his voice and we will concentrate, because .. they go ...it is ..it is the key moment ... I have a lot snuggling them .., very chest to chest .., this is a physical contact, which is what unites people ... we have to be very straight back, because we will be able to tread ... or go over ..., and the head to one side, this is the formula, so you do not miss anything……….The base of the castle is already formed; it is very important that it is compact, in order that the base is compact to support the weight of the 10 heights is going to have this tower ..... Throughout the day, I had talked about this stress ... and it is true, I assure you that the pressure is maximum, everything goes as planned, the tower begins to gain altitude ..., any error can break the dream of all these people .... the Castell grows more and more, are completed the upper floors and it is less heights to reach 10 ..... There are more than 700 people trying to get this castle reach success ...........................”
On the label overlay you can read: When the enxaneta placed both feet on top and doing arm lifts the flap, it is considered that the castell is loaded.
Francis: “The small Mariona has crown the castell; but now is the most difficult: Remove the tower, because… remember that the castell does not end until they have downloaded all ........ They just beat the world record .... now .... it must be celebrated….”
…………………………………………
Francis: “Spectacular ... very exciting …..My tears were falling ....; all together, by force, to achieve one goal ... and this year they have managed ..., the most impressive I have lived next to a human being .... thanks "
We are all equal here ... no one is of any site ... all part of a family to achieve a goal ... and that goal have succeeded, for the first time in many years .... hug me crying, because we experienced an emotion, as rarely in my life ..., all together, glued humans, body to body, to get something in common ...., this we really need to all .... Thanks "
Here you have the link to watch the video of the program.
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/espana-a-ras-de-cielo/espana-ras-cielo-castellers/2021642/
I hope that you have enjoyied.
Till soon, kind regards,
Luis.
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