It is said that the Catalans are very scatological people. That is to say, lots of their traditions revolve around obscenity.
There are two main traditions in Catalonia at Christmas time that are scatological. The first one is a little man called the caganer. He is a small character who is hidden in the Catalan nativity scene. There is probably no better way to explain what he looks like than to show a picture:
Another tradition is that of the caga tió, or the pooping log. He arrives on the weekend of the 6th of December and stays in the family home until Christmas. The children of the family ‘feed’ him by putting out plates of food, which he ‘eats’ overnight. Either on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day, after dinner, the children hit the log and make it poop presents such as turrón (nougat) or almonds.
Nobody really knows where either tradition comes from but it’s definitely very odd!!
Bon Nadal!
Fresca como una lechuga bien frotada 