Caga Tió and Caganer, the bizarre Christmas characters
Do you know who Caga Tió and Caganer are? Have you heard that in Barcelona Santa Claus does not bring the gifts to kids on Christmas? Instead, a pooping log literally “poops” the gifts. Weird, isn’t it? In this post we explain how Catalans celebrate Christmas, according to their very peculiar and 100% authentic traditions.
A peculiar Christmas in Barcelona
While Europeans believe Santa Claus is from Lapland, Americans claim he’s from Alaska, and we still doubt whether he’s an invention of Coca Cola or not, children love him, since he’s in charge of bringing gifts on Christmas all over the planet. Well, almost all over the planet! In fact, the bizarre character in charge of bringing gifts to children in Catalonia is called Caga Tió.
Santa Claus has been believed to make a list of all children of the planet, and to deliver presents to the good ones and coal to the naughty ones, flying on board of a sleigh, pulled by reindeer.
However, despite the entire Western world recognizes Santa Claus as the character in charge of bringing the gifts to children on Christmas, we discovered that the tradition in Catalonia is very different.
Our friend Jeroni from Barcelona tells us how Catalans spend a typical Christmas day. First of all, we need to know that the character in charge of bringing the treats is not Santa Claus in Catalonia, but Caga Tió.
Who is Caga Tió, the bizarre Christmas character?
On Christmas eve, after eating a light dinner, the entire family beats the log with sticks. They sing traditional songs until the log excretes all its treats under the blanket. While Caga Tió usually brings small gifts and sweets, the big gifts and the toys are brought on January 6th by the Three Kings.
After beating Caga Tió for gifts, the whole family goes to church for the “Missa del Gall”, the mass celebrated on December 24th, at midnight. Then the next day is dedicated to spend time with the family, and lunch often lasts until dinner time.
What do Catalans traditionally eat on Christmas day?
While the traditional dishes are escudella de galets i carn d’olla de Nadal (soup and stew), the soup with galets (snail-shaped pasta) is normally eaten as a first course. Following the soup, the meat and vegetables used to prepare it are served. All accompanied by Catalan red wine or cava (local champagne).
As a break after the heavy main course and an excuse for having another glass of cava, the neules and torrons are served. Neula is a crunchy biscuit, perfect to dip in cava and torró is a tablet made of almonds, honey and eggs.
What about the second Christmas character? Who is Caganer?
Another Catalan very peculiar and poo related Christmas character, beside Caga Tió, is Caganer. We refer to the defecating statuette Catalans hide in Christmas Nativity scenes, that symbolize fertilization, hope and prosperity for the coming year. At the Fira de Santa Lucia, the Christmas market in front of Barcelona’s cathedral, caganers outfitted in traditional cloths may be found, together with caganers of celebrities, politicians, and historical figures. We have our own one: a pilot of an aircraft!
Whether you are catholic or not, it definitely worth visiting Barcelona during Christmas, to experience its vibrant energy and to enjoy its unique and peculiar traditions, proudly preserved by Catalans.
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