My Space

President of the Marrecs de Salt Castellers

Josep Masdevall

Josep joined the Marrecs de Salt in 1998, just two years after the casteller group was founded. As the president of the Marrecs, he is in charge of representing the group and ensuring its good functioning. The Marrecs now have some 350 members, which has been steadily growing in the past few years. This November the Marrecs will be performing for Girona's annual Sant Narcís festival.

1. Sash. All castellers wear one of these. It is black and protects the lower back. Originally, it was used for working in the fields.

2. Shirt. It is the piece of clothing that unites all of us Marrecs. Each group has its own coloured shirt; ours is blue. The shirt is a symbol of the castellers and is worn during all of our performances.

3. Gralla. Along with the drum, this flute-like instrument accompanies each stage of the castle's development. It is also used to create a festival atmosphere.

4. Safety net. This allows us to practise weaker structures on days when there are fewer of us. It's a vital piece of equipment for the group's technical development.

5. Outline of the pinya. All of the castellers appear on this outline, which tells everyone where they should be for each type of castle. Making the pinya, the base of the castel, is a meticulous process and everyone needs to know where they have to be.

6. Rehearsal whiteboard. This is where we find the plans for the rehearsal and the trials set up for that day. The rehearsal depends on which future performance is coming up and the group's long-term aims. A well-planned rehearsal allows us to make better use of the time available and achieve more.

7. Torre de 8 amb folre. The Marrecs were the first to do this structure for the Fires de Girona in 2012. It was the first castell amb folre the group had ever done, making it a key moment for our history.

8. Neckerchief. It is another element that all castellers share. While largely decorative, many are superstitious about it and will only wear the same neckerchief when they perform.

9. Segons. These are the first castellers of the tronc who stick out from the pinya. Each segon has its own team of castellers: baix, contrafort, agulla, crosses, vents, laterals and primeres mans, who help to provide support for the layers that will come on top.

10. Cap de pinyes. He or she checks that all of the castellers in the pinya are correctly distributed. He or she also draws up the outline showing the positions of all the castellers.

Sign in. Sign in if you are already a verified reader. I want to become verified reader. To leave comments on the website you must be a verified reader.
Note: To leave comments on the website you must be a verified reader and accept the conditions of use.