It had been almost four years since the Mercadal Day. It is true that in 2021 it was done, in a symbolic way, and with security measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, but this year it has been able to be carried out completely normally. It is a performance organized by the Xiquets of Reus, every two years, when there is no Castells competition. Gather ‘colles’ that can make constructions of maximum difficulty; Castles of Vilafranca, Colla Vella Xiquets de Valls, Colla Jove Xiquets from Tarragonaand Capgrossos de Mataróand it is an appointment that has become essential for castle lovers.
The draw for the order of performance determined that the Colla Jove She was in charge of opening the place. Those in the lilac shirt arrived with a good taste in their mouths after Santa Tecla in Tarragona, and they were eager to perpetuate their good form. Thus, the lack of members made them give up being able to do some extra range, and they were betting on the ‘Magic Triplet’: 3d9f, 4d9f and 5d8. They also repeated pd6, which they downloaded for the second time this year. A fact that has merit, since it is all new compared to the other one they had.
They were followed by Xiquets of Reuswho had the clear intention of joining the group of colles that have managed to do 9-story castles. Precisely, the last ones they had done had been in Reus, in the same performance in 2019. To do this, they first opted for 2d8f, a structure that they dominated very well, and which made them gain confidence. In the second round it was time to try the 9-story castle. He went up with a little tremor, and when the children were already placed, I ended up falling through the floors above. Therefore, the objectives could not be achieved. To finish the performance they decided on 4d7 and 4d7a. The ‘cap de colla’ of him, Oriol Ciurana, seemed angry, and recognized that the castells “do not appear in the square, although it is clear that we have them, but all you have to do is keep working”. That is why he encouraged his members to go en masse to the last remaining rehearsals, in order to finish the season with a good taste in their mouths.
The Castellers de Vilafranca wanted to release the 4d9sf, a very difficult castle, before Tots Sants -on November 1- at home. It was speculated that the Diada del Mercadal could be the site, but those in the green shirt They ruled it out, and decided on 2d9fmthe third time they completed it in 2023, and the 5d9f, the first time they did it this year. AND They finished with 4d9f, showing a good state of formand valuing very positively his performance, and having been able to make the 5d9f.
The Colla Vella wanted to get rid of the pain of having left 2d8sf halfway, who had loaded him in Sant Fèlix. They started with the 4d9fa, a castell that they have mastered, but which was only halfway done. Then came the time for 2d8sf, which again was also half done. And they ended with 4d9f. Therefore They came out with a bittersweet taste, although happy. Even so, they made a ‘pillar of merit’, downloading the pd7f again.
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And the Capgrossos de Mataró They had worked hard to bring many shirts to Reus, and to be able to try the extremely difficult, extra-range castells, something they have not been able to achieve since 2019, when they loaded the pd8fm. The number of people there made them put aside these objectives and they bet on the ‘Magic Triplet’: 4d9f, 3d9f, and 5d8, the second of the season. This made the members of the ‘colla’ explode with joy and once they finished they celebrated with songs of “Capgrossos de Mataró”. Those from Maresme showed that they continue with the idyll on the Mercadal Day and that the Plaza de Reus is enough for them to be able to carry out performances of a very good level.
There had been a lot of speculation about the castles that could be seen in this performance and in the end it was possible to enjoy four extra ranges, and different 9-story castles. Everything lasted more than three and a half hours, a quick performance due to the number of collas there were and all the attempts that were made.