“Strength, balance, courage and sanity”, wrote Josep Anselm Clavé. This is what castells (human towers) are, nothing more and nothing less! In our land, the Alt Camp, they take on a very special value, since Valls is the birthplace of these human constructions as we know them today.
Castells are an evolution of the ball de valencians, a traditional dance that spread throughout the Camp de Tarragona during the 18th century and which, as was customary, ended with a human figure. The growing prominence of this final figure and the growing rivalry between groups of dancers led Valls’ people to create a new discipline: castells. At the beginning of the 19th century, the first castellers of the town were grouped into two collectives: Pagesos and Menestrals. In this way, the embryos of the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and the Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls appeared, the two great groups of castellers which over the course of two centuries have transformed into what they are today.
So, we are talking about a unique and historical rivalry that can only be known and felt in Plaça del Blat (the most important square of the village). The competition between groups to touch the sky has led to historical milestones such as the achievement of the 3d9sf (that means three people on each of the nine floors of the human structure) during the 2019 Santa Úrsula day, a castle of maximum complexity that has only been mastered by the two groups from Valls.
Although currently the castells are a phenomenon spread throughout Catalonia and both Colla Vella and Colla Joves perform throughout the territory, Valls hosts five events throughout the year that pit the two groups against each other: the night of Completes (June 23 at night), Sant Joan (June 24), Firagost (first Wednesday of August), the National Day of Catalonia (September 10) and the most important, Santa Úrsula (last Sunday of October). In addition, every ten years, for the Decennial Festivals in honor of the Virgin of Candela, all the casteller groups in the world are invited to Valls to build castells simultaneously (early February of each year ending in one).
The castells experience in Valls is rounded off with a visit to the recently opened Casteller Museum of Catalonia, which will allow you to understand the casteller phenomenon in all its aspects. Discover how castells are structured, the main historical feats of the casteller world, casteller groups from around the world, their own slang, the different sounds of the tambor and gralla… and much more!
Visit us and experience our passion. Are you going to miss it?
