VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDES, Spain (AP) 鈥� Bruna Vall Gal谩n, 8, gave a unique to Tuesday night 鈥� from the top of a nearly 10-meter (33-foot) created at the start of Leo’s prayer vigil in Barcelona.
Human towers, or 鈥渃astells鈥� 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 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.
鈥淎 fundamental richness of castells is that anybody can take part, independently of their age, their culture, their weight or height, their beliefs or ideologies,鈥� said Ernest Gallart P茅rez, the group鈥檚 president. 鈥淓very person has their place on the structure.鈥�
Bruna鈥檚 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 鈥� and down 鈥� each other鈥檚 bodies as the tower rises.
鈥淭he human towers are like the skyline of Catalonia,鈥� 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. 鈥淭hey are an identity, very important for our culture, and they represent very well our society, that we work together as a team.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 union, family, strength,鈥� said Aida Iba帽ez Sadurn铆, who participated in Tuesday鈥檚 tower with her father, Xavier Iba帽ez Sanz. 鈥淲hen we get everybody down, we hug each other crying, and it鈥檚 the biggest emotion.鈥�
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鈥� shoulders, their arms intertwined.
On Tuesday, smaller groups of four climbed up and formed a first standing circle, and more crawled up until Bruna 鈥� in her function as the 鈥渁nxaneta,鈥� a girl who serves as the pinnacle 鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a relief, I鈥檓 very happy, very joyful,鈥� said 脌ngel Grau, the 鈥渃ap de colla鈥� or coach of the group, as the sweaty, cheerful group made their way back out to their buses and long ride home.
鈥淭here were a lot of people watching us from around the world, and whether you believe a lot or believe less, it鈥檚 such an occasion for pride for us.鈥�
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
