Close-Up: Catalonia's human towers

This BBC News series focuses on aspects of life in countries and cities around the world. What may seem ordinary and familiar to the people who live there can be surprising to those who do not.

It is one of Catalonia's more unusual spectacles - and now the region has applied for the tradition of building a Castell, or human tower, to be inscribed on Unesco's list of examples of "intangible cultural heritage".

A common sight at Catalonian festivals, castells can be up to 10 human storeys high, with a small child usually being placed on the top. Teams compete to create the most elaborate construction, in a tradition which is believed to date back to the 18th Century.

Sarah Rainsford went along to the festival in the town of Vilafranca to find out more.

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