What is a castle?
Defying gravity, perfect geometry.
I see architecture in it.
Made of bodies
And an art.
The art of balancing strength and balance.
Half and half?
The floors below, more strength; the ones above, more balance.
Where do you place yourself?
On the second or third floor: half strength, half balance.
Were you anxeneta?
They are children aged five to eight. I started when I was 14.
Late?
You start when you’ve been stung.
Why did it bite him?
Father went to train on Fridays. One day I accompanied him… and until today.
Is your father still a casteller?
It stands at the base of the castle, in a more outer belt: it is already 75 years old.
It’s years.
The same as the Castellers de Vilafranca, founded in 1948 by Oriol Rossell, from Vilafranca, a robust man, known as the male of Sant Marçal.
a male
We had two other gang leaders, also legendary: Mènac (Carles Domènech), from 1975 to 1995, and Melillas (Francisco Moreno), until 2003, which had been a long time ago: they pushed us, we were champions!
How do they manage to be the best?
Training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Many hours?
At the end of the working day, two hours a day, and on Fridays, many more hours.
Surrender, sacrifice…
And rivalry: it’s the engine! Without hunger to surpass others we would not have achieved anything. And we have achieved a lot.
Which castles are you thinking of?
In the untamed beast: no one had been able to charge him in the 20th century!
How is it?
It’s a neat tower of eight.
Eight floors
Two people per floor: all balance! And force We had dreamed so much! The gang loaded it for the first time in 1999. Me, already in the 21st century, several times.
Tamed beast!
I was more excited to load the pillar again with lining, shackles and struts, with me on the fourth floor.
Why did it excite him so much?
After covid, we had a downturn. And no one believed we would. It was historic… And in November… we loaded it!
And did they download it?
No, but it was historic! I hugged the leader of the group and we cried together.
Even if they made firewood…
Yes. The important thing here is not to open the pineapple, to avoid major bruises, especially on the knees.
Are there many injuries?
The risk is there. The most common are contractures. That’s why we warm up the muscles first. Then, stretching.
Clear this up for me about the lining, shackles and struts.
The floors are for three people, but on the floor above the pineapple there are more: lining. In a ten-story pillar, there will be a third one also more nourished: handcuffs.
And the props?
A fourth floor plus support, if there are nine or ten floors.
What other castles do they build in Vilafranca?
After failing twelve times (!), in 1995 we were the first in history to unload the tower again with liner and shackles… It made us leaders. For stubborn
Month.
Four of ten (four castellers per floor, ten floors), four of nine without lining, very difficult! And if the tower of nine (nine floors of two castles) with lining has been possible… without lining it is already impossible!
Why are they wearing a green shirt?
Homage to the vineyards. It has been green since 1957, to distinguish us from Valls and Vendrell, previous gangs.
How many gangs are there today?
A hundred
What is the secret of the best casteller?
Teamwork, hours of training and, already in the square, serenity.
The climax is…
The old lady flaps her fin (raises her hand) and fifteen thousand throats let out a deafening scream: you feel the vibration in your body. And, calmly, you resist.
can i try it
You must come! First I’ll show you a video that we only see inside the rehearsal room. And you will surely cry.
