As kids, we sometimes used to try and build human pyramids of sorts, only to come tumbling down.

As drunk adults, too, actually, usually with equally as dramatic tumbles.

If you want to see what this human pyramid gig looks like when turned into a terrifying art form, then you should look no further than the Concurs de Castells festival.

The Telegraph reports on the festival, which takes place 100 kilometres outside of Barcelona, and brings the best teams from Catalonia together to compete:

Castells, or human castles or towers, have been around more than 200 years but the spectacle never gets old.

Following the castellers’ motto of “Força, equilibri, valor i seny”, or “Strength, balance, courage and common sense,” the Catalonian tradition sees collas, or teams, build physics-defying towers from hundreds of members of their town.

At the base, baixos squish together and pray the tower won’t collapse on them. The tight scrum – eight or nine people deep – supports the second tier segons to stand. Terços stand on their shoulders and so on up the tower. The largest towers have 10 tiers, each consisting of two, three or four people…

As the tower grows, the slightest members wriggle up the legs and backs of their larger colleagues as quickly as they can, aware the weight of the town – part of it, literally – is on their shoulders.

Here’s some footage from this year’s event, the 27th edition of the Concurs de Castells:

Even though this video below is actually from last year, it gives some good insight into the traditions of the festival:

The most obvious question here is how many injuries, and how bad are they? Those involved say that accidents happen, but there are fewer serious injuries than one might expect:

The descent is considered the most treacherous part (castells are awarded points for completing a build and more for successfully dismantling it).

[Jordi Pallarès, a fourth generation casteller from Valls] has an 18-month-old daughter and would like her to continue the family tradition when she’s older.

“Castells teach children to work in a team, trust in others, respect, ambition, effort and sacrifice,” he says.

For the watching parents, crowd and community, it is a source of pride to see their smallest touch the sky. And, when their feet return to the ground, everyone can breathe again.

I think I’ll just watch from the sideline, thanks.

[source:telegraph]