Castellers... and Why Did Jesse Join a Gang?

Castells are what Castellers build. Castells are human towers that exhibit incredible teamwork, concentration, athleticism, and community. It is perfectly described as "a genuinely Catalan tradition which UNESCO declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2010" on the Castell website (click here to read more), but it is impossible to describe what it feels like to see one in person. The crowd goes silent as the core group that form the base link arms. Quickly members of the Colla (gang) fall into place and like a mass of ants the climbers gingerly step onto shoulders from all sides of the circle. Layer upon choreographed layer they climb up, their arms clasped, their legs shaking in effort, and piercing stares fixed on one another. In the audience, we all hold our breath. Drums and flute like instruments called gralles start to play as the musicians see the base is secure and the top levels of the castell can be formed. Then a small extremely brave child, usually around 5 years old, shimmies up to the tippy top (sometimes 8 or more levels high), flings an arm into the air like a rodeo bronc rider and shimmies back down the other side. As the child descends, the layers of the castell descend as well. When deconstructed safely, the crowd goes wild! It is dangerous, acrobatic, and beautiful, and being a witness to it feels incredibly special.

So the million dollar question is how the hell did Jesse, a newly transplanted American in Spain, find himself a member of this unique Catalan community? As you can imagine, it is an interesting story. He had come across videos of this phenomenon, the castells, as he was researching the region we were moving to. He eagerly showed Denali and I videos of some of the biggest ever made, some of the harrowing falls, and various performances the Sitges group had done in town. He could not wait to see one performed in person, but after 6 months in Sitges he still had no idea how someone would be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to catch it. 

As you have read in previous posts, we live in the oldest part of old town. We happen to live next door to the historic Palau Rei Moro (palace of the moorish king) which we had not been able to look inside of because it was always locked or hosting a private event. One night, when we were coming home after an evening with friends on the beach, the big heavy wooden doors of the Palau stood wide open. We hesitantly entered the ancient space and much to our surprise we found the castellers practicing inside! Our excitement was obvious and caught the attention of the director who immediately welcomed us. Within minutes we were encircled by members who lovingly kissed our cheeks and explained what we were seeing as a castell formed in the courtyard. Before we knew it we were given t-shirts, agreeing to go on the bus with them to a performance the following day, and Jesse was being signed up as a member. 

Over the following months we became a part of this special family known as the Colla Jove de Castellers de Sitges. When Jesse had to return to New Mexico in the spring, Denali and I attended their events, were invited to dinners and lovingly hugged when they saw us on the street. We even introduced two local friends to the group which garnered us extra badass points with the colla. When Jesse returned he was met with such genuine joy and warmth that it was quite literally a tearfilled reunion.

The Casteller connection has enriched our lives in Sitges, but also other places. On my recent trip to Roussillon, France, (which is part of Catalonia and I will write about that soon), I impressed the wine community there with the surprising information that not only did I live in Catalonia, but my husband was also a Casteller, I went from just another journalist to a fast friend. I have to admit it was a pretty amazing feeling and it made me want to pimp my husband out for other groups to join.

The most amazing thing is that I didn't think we could love Sitges any more than we already did, but this family, this gang, has given us such a rich layer to our lives that we can now feel like we didn't just move here, but that we belong here and there are simply no words to describe what that is like.