Castellers Monument Tarragona Spain
by Joan Carroll
Title
Castellers Monument Tarragona Spain
Artist
Joan Carroll
Medium
Photograph - Photography And Digital Art
Description
On the Rambla Nova in Tarragona Spain is a monument called Monumento a los Castellers, a monument to the human castle-builders of the Catalonian region of Spain. When I first saw the monument at night and from across the street, I had to look twice to determine that it wasn't the real thing! This cultural activity of building human castles represents a history and heritage where trust, teamwork and mutual effort combine to make something truly special. An explanation of the Casteller tradition comes from the Spanish Language Learning site donquijote.org: The construction of human towers is not exclusive to the inhabitants of the Catalonian region of Spain; there are references to these types of human constructions found all over the world. Such castells (castles) have become an integral part of the cultural life in the Catalonian region of Spain and are generally constructed by teams that historically were tied to various trades. Castells because very popular and were reaching heights of seven, eight, and even nine levels by the mid 1800s. Economics, World War I and the Spanish Civil War all contributed to a decline in the activity of the collas (teams) who built the castells. But over time, team began to re-form. The incorporation or women into the collas starting in the 1980s played a large role in allowing the castells to routinely reach nine levels. Although the tradition of the human tower may be a global one, the Casteller tradition is one that is uniquely Catalonian and symbol of this region of Spain. It has also been recognized by the UNESCO. In 2010 this tradition was granted status as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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joan carroll, castell, castle, human castle, statue, bronze, folklore, festival, culture, catalonia, cooperation, construction, team, structure, castells, traditional
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January 25th, 2017
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Viewed 1,974 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 04/18/2024 at 4:49 AM
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