VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDES, Spain (AP) — Bruna Vall Galán, 8, gave a unique welcome to Catalonia to Pope Leo XIV Tuesday night — from the top of a nearly 10-meter (33-foot) human tower created at the start of Leo's prayer vigil in Barcelona.
Human towers, or “castells” in the Catalan language, are not only a feat of equilibrium, strength and teamwork, but a crucial part of the proud identity in this northeastern Spanish region.
One of the most celebrated groups to uphold this tradition, the Castellers de Vilafranca, was tapped to perform for the pope during his seven-day trip to Spain and allowed The Associated Press to tag along on their journey, from the long bus ride to the backstage jitters to the sweaty, grinning high-fives after Leo's applause.
“A fundamental richness of castells is that anybody can take part, independently of their age, their culture, their weight or height, their beliefs or ideologies,” said Ernest Gallart Pérez, the group’s president. “Every person has their place on the structure.”
Bruna’s mom, Maria Vall Camell, joined at 18 and later met her husband in the group, where everyone dons trademark jade green shirts, white pants, tight black sashes and red bandannas with white dots. The bandannas and sashes provide crucial gripping points as members climb up — and down — each other’s bodies as the tower rises.
“The human towers are like the skyline of Catalonia,” Vall told the AP on the bus as more than 130 castellers traveled from their small town, Vilafranca del Penedes, deep in Cava wine country about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Barcelona. “They are an identity, very important for our culture, and they represent very well our society, that we work together as a team.”
Castells are an integral part of Catalan celebrations, whether patron saint days or competitions with hundreds of participants. But at their core, they are family traditions, passed down for generations.
“It’s union, family, strength,” said Aida Ibañez Sadurní, who participated in Tuesday’s tower with her father, Xavier Ibañez Sanz. “When we get everybody down, we hug each other crying, and it’s the biggest emotion.”
It takes months to practice, and mere minutes to create the towers, starting with a large base, people pressed shoulder to shoulder in tight circles, their heads against their neighbors’ shoulders, their arms intertwined.
On Tuesday, smaller groups of four climbed up and formed a first standing circle, and more crawled up until Bruna — in her function as the “anxaneta,” a girl who serves as the pinnacle — went all the way to the top and waved, before climbing down.
When the castell successfully disbanded, Leo smiled broadly and the approximately 40,000 people in the stadium erupted in football-volume cheers.
“It’s a relief, I’m very happy, very joyful,” said Àngel Grau, the “cap de colla” or coach of the group, as the sweaty, cheerful group made their way back out to their buses and long ride home.
“There were a lot of people watching us from around the world, and whether you believe a lot or believe less, it’s such an occasion for pride for us.”
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