The Human Tower Competition Today in Spain

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Jeff Neumann

10/03/10 04:14PM

Filed to: competitions

Today was the 23rd Tarragona Castells Competition in the Catalonia region of Spain, in which groups of "colles" made up of skilled "castellers" try to build very complex human towers using crazy techniques. More pics of human towers inside.

[Images via Getty]

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beautifulbeast Jeff Neumann 10/03/10 04:56PM

I can't find a picture here, but the climax of it all is when the castell is finished and as high as they want it to be and then they let a small child climb all the way up.

Start the hating!

ETA: Found it!

beautifulbeast beautifulbeast 10/03/10 05:00PM

@beautifulbeast:

hilikusopus beautifulbeast 10/03/10 05:30PM

@beautifulbeast: No hate from me! Lots of NY orchards won't even let kids go apple picking anymore, fearing lawsuits from injuries. That was a classic childhood memory for me, that some kids won't get to experience. We ridicule Europe for coddling its citizens with socialism, but we could learn a thing or two when it comes to raising our children to live life with a little enthusiasm, coddle-free.

IQslump beautifulbeast 10/03/10 05:57PM

@beautifulbeast: I generally try to avoid any climax that involves a child.

Dürer's Rhino Jeff Neumann 10/03/10 04:23PM

I just saw a clip of this on 'World's Dumbest Dumbasses' on TruTV.

It's interesting how committed Spaniards are to finding unique ways to kill themselves.

IQslump Dürer's Rhino 10/03/10 04:31PM

@Dürer's Rhino: You have to admit, though, that it takes some balls to produce erections of this size.

Sweet Fluff IQslump 10/03/10 04:36PM

@IQslump: Tower envy.

TheBitterman Dürer's Rhino 10/03/10 04:42PM

@Dürer's Rhino: Spain is the deep south of Europe.

hilikusopus TheBitterman 10/03/10 05:32PM

@TheBitterman: That's bull. Deeeeeep fried bull.

ah123 Jeff Neumann 10/03/10 04:49PM

Catalans have very different traditions than Spaniards, and none of them involve wasting food or torturing animals.

syrdax ah123 10/04/10 06:21AM

@andrewhwang: Wrong. Catalunya did prohibited bull fight but there are 2 "traditions" that are not forbidden: toro embolao (correbus) where people set bull's horns on fire and other where they make run bulls to water while they hit him.

Now in my book, that's torturing animals.

Want waste of food? Go to any local "tradition" where they throw flour and eggs each other.

ah123 syrdax 10/04/10 11:50AM

@syrdax: You're wrong. These are Valencian traditions. Parts of Valencia speak Valencian, which is considered very similar to Catalan. However, Catalonia proper does not involve such festivals. Toro Embolao takes place in Godella, Valencia and Els Enfarinats in Ibi, Valencia. My husband is Catalan and lives there so he would know.

Lost_Mapmaker ah123 10/19/10 02:40PM

@ah123: Implying your husband lives in a different country then yourself?

Dancing Queen Jeff Neumann 10/03/10 04:44PM

Running with bulls. Throwing tomatoes at each other from trucks. Creating people poles. Spainards need something to do.

ConnieMortadella Dancing Queen 10/03/10 05:36PM

@youthinkyouknow: But those traditions belong to different regions and ethnic groups. Catalans do the tower thing, Basques do the running of the bulls.

Dancing Queen ConnieMortadella 10/03/10 05:43PM

@ConnieMortadella: Bah! Details! In America, we don't care about different cultures or regions! Next thing you'll tell me is that Paris is an actual city and not a super-smart celebrity!

tobylane Dancing Queen 10/03/10 06:11PM

@youthinkyouknow: Whinge in F1?