PODCAST: Castells – Catalonia's amazing human towers

The philosophy, the lingo and the buzz of this unique UNESCO-recognized tradition

Two human tower groups, the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and Castellers de Vilafranca, raise castells in Valls, January 30, 2022 (by Ariadna Escoda/Anna Ferràs) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

First published: June 25, 2022 10:17 AM

Latest update: September 19, 2022 08:15 PM

Not for the faint-hearted, castells are human towers that can reach up to 10 stories high – that's 10 groups of people stacked on top of each other! Press play below to listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to delve into 'el mon casteller', the world of human towers.

We visit one of the gravity-defying groups in Barcelona, the Castellers de Sants, and chat to Ignasi Escamilla from the Catalan Human Tower Groups Association (Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya) about the philosophy behind this unique tradition, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This week's Catalan phrase is 'fer pinya', which comes from the human tower tradition and means to come together for a common goal, to collaborate.

Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat.

Listen to more episodes of Filling the Sink below or find out more here.