Caga Tio!
Introducing el Tio Nadal other wise known as el Caga Tio (or the Shitting Uncle!)
We are staying just a two block from what seems to be THE Christmas market in Barcelona. So When we called our friend Olga to let her know we were finally in Barcelona she suggested we meet there as she wanted to do a bit of shopping with her little daughter. We met at the steps of the cathedral and began chatting--her daughter was busily occupied with her toy car to pay much attention to us but son got bored and began exclaiming that she wanted to see the “Tio”
Her mother said, “Oh yes its an enormous Tio!” Hugo and I are to be excused in imagining they were talking about an obese relative or some very large guy at this point. You see we had yet to be introduced to el Tio Nadal. But thanks to Olga and her little daughter we have learned what must be one of the weirder Catalan customs… perhaps the oddest Christmas ritual ever.
In Colombia Niño Dios (or baby Jesús) comes to give gifts on the 24th of December. In the US and much of Europe there is Santa Claus/ St. Nicholas. Other places have the Magi give gifts on January 6th. But in Barcelona there is the Tio—this is a log with a smiley face that is beaten with a stick on the 24th so that it will poop gifts.
The details:
The tio has a smiley face-- and in a strange case cross-cultural pollination a santa claus type hat—It has two sticks as feb, and most of it is covered with a blanket.
The Tio is fed by the children. According to Olga her daughter is very certain to give the log very good food so that it will poop good gifts—she is hoping for a scooter!
(The parents then hide the food when the child is not looking at the child believes it has eaten the food.)
Some parents replace the Tio every once in a while with a larger one so it seems as if the food is making it grow.
On the 24th the tio is beaten with a stick as festive songs telling the log to poop are sung to it. The log the “poops” the gifts under the blanket, the blanket is removed and voila the gifts.
We got to see a small enactment because of the enormous Tio that is gracing the Christmas market. There were children lined up around it ready to beat the tio. The line was long—this seems to be like Santa at Macy’s. But Olga’s daughter was determined, the line moved quickly because unlike Santa at Macy’s 7 children or so got to beat the log with a stick and no one asked him for specific things. Instead a worker reached under the blanket to give each child a lollipop the log had pooped once they finished singing their song and their little arms were tired of whacking the Tio. I don’t have a phone line yet so I wasn’t carrying my telephone (and therefore camera) so you will just have to take this picture culled from the internet as proof that I am not making this up.
