# The Catalonian Poopy Christmas **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828 "2024-12-18T20:15:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/1 "2024-12-18T20:15:26Z")
Cultural differences around the world produce the most interesting and enticing variations, but every now and then you have to wonder if there’s something in the water over there, or something. In particular, what is it about Christmas and Pooping in Catalonia? I’ve just learned about the Catalonian Christmas tradition of the Pooping Log, the _Tio de Nadal_ > [@](#): > > This might be one of the most bizarre holiday traditions out there: The “Tió de Nadal” or pooping log. This beloved Catalan custom involves a wooden log decorated with a face that is fed treats throughout December and kept warm under a blanket. On Christmas Eve, children beat the log with sticks and sing traditional songs to coax it into pooping candy and gifts. > > You’re not alone if you’re thinking, “What the heck?” But for Catalan families, the Tió de Nadal is a cherished part of the holiday season, blending humor, joy and a unique sense of festive creativity. It sounds like a Catalan spin on the piñata gone horribly wrong. This is in addition to another Catalan tradition I learned about in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, of all places. Every year they set out an 18th century Neapolitan _creche_ under a huge tree, with incredibly well-decorated and realistic figures. But one card told about the _caganer_ > [@](#): > > A **Caganer** (Catalan pronunciation: [[kəɣəˈne]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Catalan)) is a [figurine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figurine) depicted in the act of [defecation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defecation) appearing in [nativity scenes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_scene) in [Catalonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia) and neighbouring [areas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditions_of_Catalonia) such as [Andorra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andorra), [Valencia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencian_Community), [Balearic Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balearic_Islands), and [Northern Catalonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Catalonia) (in [southern France](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_France)). It is most popular and widespread in these areas, but can also be found in other areas of [Spain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain) ([Murcia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region_of_Murcia)), [Portugal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal), and [Southern Italy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Italy) ([Naples](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples)). It’s not just an 18th century tradition – it continues to this day. In fact, there’s a company that will sell you caganers depicting not just Biblical shepherdds, but also political figures, cartoon characters, Marvel superheroes, and more, captured in the act of taking a dump. Robots like R2D2c and C3PO leave behind a pile of nuts and bolts. Yes, you can get a genuine Donald Trump caganer, if you want.: [https://caganer.com/en/](https://caganer.com/en/) I am utterly, utterly amazed and bewildered. Can you get a Tio de Nadal stuffed with Caganers? > **[From Pooping Logs to Fierce Cats: The World's Quirkiest Holiday Traditions](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/other-christmas-traditions_n_6762ba06e4b0e5f90a967c93)** > > Naked Santa has also become an iconic part of one American city's Christmas lore. > **[Caganer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caganer)** > > A Caganer (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Catalan pronunciation: \[kəɣəˈne\]) is a figurine depicted in the act of defecation appearing in nativity scenes in Catalonia and neighbouring areas such as Andorra, Valencia, Balearic Islands, and Northern Catalonia (in southern France). It is most popular and widespread in these areas, but c... ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/2 "2024-12-18T20:19:38Z")
But wait! There’s more! > [@](#): > > The Caganer is not the only defecating character in the Catalan Christmas tradition—another is the _[Tió de Nadal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%C3%B3_de_Nadal)_ , which also makes extensive use of the image of faecal matter (it is a log, i.e. tió which, having been “fed” for several weeks, is told to defecate on Christmas Eve and “magically” produces candy for children, a candy that has supposedly come from its bowels). Other mentions of faeces and defecation are common in Catalan folklore: indeed, a popular Catalan saying for use before a meal is _menja bé, caga fort i no tinguis por a la mort!_ (“Eat well, shit heartily, and don’t be afraid of death!”). In his book _Barcelona_ , architecture critic and locale historian [Robert Hughes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hughes_(critic)) gives a good introduction to this earthy tradition.[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caganer#cite_note-11) (from the above Wikipedia page on _Caganers_) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/3 "2024-12-18T20:21:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It’s not just an 18th century tradition – it continues to this day. In fact, there’s a company that will sell you caganers depicting not just Biblical shepherdds, but also political figures, cartoon characters, Marvel superheroes, and more, captured in the act of taking a dump. If I haven’t been in their shop, it was certainly one that fits this description. Just off Las Ramblas in Barcelona. I was going to buy a couple of caganers as a joke, but jeez are they expensive for what they are. j ETA I was going to post their website, but discourse tells me that you already have, @CalMeacham. (So I was correct about going there, I guess). I’ll post the address instead. Carrer de la Portaferrissa, 2, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/4 "2024-12-18T20:24:25Z")
There’s a song to encourage the Log to Poop!! > [@](#): > > ## _Caga tió_ song > > A song is sung during this celebration. After hitting the _tió_ softly with a stick during the song, it is hit harder on the words _Caga tió!_ Then somebody puts their hand under the blanket and takes a gift. The gift is opened and then the song begins again. There are many _Caga tió_ songs connected to the holiday and the log. The following variant[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%C3%B3_de_Nadal#cite_note-8) is one of the more popular versions of this song: > > **Catalan** > > Caga tió, > > avellanes i torró, > > no caguis arengades > > que són massa salades, > > caga torrons > > que són més bons. > > Caga tió, > > ametlles i torró, > > i, si no vols cagar, > > et donaré un cop de bastó! > > Caga tió! > > **English** > > Shit, tió, > > hazelnuts and nougats, > > do not shit herrings, > > for they are too salty, > > shit nougats > > for they taste better. > > Shit, tió, > > almonds and nougats, > > and if you don’t want to shit > > I will hit you with a stick! > > Shit, tió! > **[Tió de Nadal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%C3%B3_de_Nadal)** > > The Tió de Nadal (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Catalan pronunciation: \[tiˈo ðə nəˈðal\]; 'Christmas Log'), also known simply as tió ('log'), soca or tronc(a) ('trunk'), is a character in Catalan mythology relating to a Christmas tradition widespread in Catalonia, Majorca (known as Nadaler), Occitania (Southern France) and Andorr Th... ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/5 "2024-12-18T20:30:53Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > a popular Catalan saying for use before a meal is _menja bé, caga fort i no tinguis por a la mort!_ (“Eat well, shit heartily, and don’t be afraid of death!”). I mean, as ‘words to live by’ go, you could do worse than that saying. I’m sure it works even better in its native Catalan, since it rhymes! Someone should make a rhyming English version. Hmm, let’s see… _Eat well, shit wide and deeper,_ _And don’t be afraid of the grim reaper!_ Eh, pretty crappy. That rhyming idea was only half digested, you might say. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/6 "2024-12-18T20:39:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There’s a song to encourage the Log to Poop!! I love this sentence! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/7 "2024-12-18T20:44:07Z")
This “Log” you speak of- Does it roll down stairs? Alone or in pairs? Rolls over your neighbor’s dog? Is it great for a snack? Does it fit on your back? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/8 "2024-12-18T21:08:24Z")
Yes, it is all true, and I can only wonder why you find our escatological traditions so bewildering. Didn’t you know that [life’s a piece of shit when you look at it](https://youtu.be/SJUhlRoBL8M?t=101)? Just remember that the last laugh is on you and you’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/9 "2024-12-18T21:31:55Z")
Too late to ETA: Why tag this thread with Trump, btw? Just because everything he touches turns to shit is no reason to soil our ancestral traditions! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/10 "2024-12-19T13:12:50Z")
Don’t blame me – I’m not the one who constructed and sold an entire line of Trump _Carganers._ ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/11 "2024-12-19T13:17:39Z")
I recall reading this in an Uncle Johns **Bathroom** Reader! ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/12 "2024-12-20T18:27:30Z")
I must say I am bitterly disappointed in the definition of a pooping log. I though the log was going to be the recipient… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/13 "2024-12-20T19:51:22Z")
Whereas I would have thought that it was paperwork recording how often one moves one’s bowels. Oh, and I removed the Trump tag. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/14 "2024-12-20T23:03:34Z")
No relation to Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/15 "2024-12-20T23:38:38Z")
There is a Christmas Poop Log Activity kit. Sold out, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/16 "2024-12-20T23:56:20Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Aakq-a4uefA/maxresdefault.jpg "Caga Tió de Nadal Tradition and History - Christmas Pooping Log - Catalan Christmas Tradition ✨") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aakq-a4uefA) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/17 "2024-12-21T01:14:16Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > No relation to Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo? Oddly, no. I’d heard that Mr. Hankey was inspired by sentient poo characters in Japanese cartoons, but according to the Wikipedia page, it has nothing to do with that: > [@](#): > > The Mr. Hankey character was based on an idea [Trey Parker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trey_Parker)’s father created when he was toilet-training Trey as a child.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo#cite_note-CNS1222-1) Parker said he refused to flush the toilet as a child, so his father told him if he did not flush down his stool, which he called “Mr. Hankey”, it would come to life and kill him.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo#cite_note-Time0323-2) The concept stayed with Parker throughout his childhood; starting in elementary school and throughout his entire education, he would often draw the character in class, wearing a sailor’s hat instead of the Santa Claus hat he would later wear in _South Park_ .[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo#cite_note-Commentary-3) Parker shared the concept with future _South Park_ co-creator [Matt Stone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Stone) when the two met at the [University of Colorado at Boulder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colorado_at_Boulder), and the duo immediately knew they wanted to create a film or production involving Mr. Hankey.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo#cite_note-4) The two discussed filming a three-minute short film involving a boy who befriended the talking stool, but Mr. Hankey would not come alive for anybody else, prompting others to believe the boy was crazy. They planned for the boy’s parents to find him holding a stool in the bathroom and blame the child for smearing feces along the walls when it was actually Mr. Hankey’s fault; they also planned to have him visit a school counselor, where Mr. Hankey would leap into the counselor’s coffee mug and the boy would be blamed. At the end, it would turn out that the boy was indeed crazy and Mr. Hankey was not real at all, but a figment of the boy’s imagination. Parker and Stone never made the short film, but practically all of its elements were included in the future _South Park_ episode “Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo”, with the notable exception of the ending.[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo#cite_note-Commentary-3) Although the Mr. Hankey short film was never made, Parker and Stone made two Christmas-related animated short films called _[The Spirit of Christmas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_of_Christmas_(short_film))_ , which served as precursors to the _South Park_ series. > **[Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo)** > > "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" is the ninth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 17, 1997. The episode follows Kyle as he feels excluded from the town's Christmas celebrations due to being Jewish, finding solace in Mr. Hankey, a sentient piece of feces. Mr. Hankey does not come alive in the presence of other characters, who consequently think that Kyle is delusional. Meanwhile, ... ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/18 "2024-12-21T01:20:43Z")
Of course, there’s an entire **TV Tropes** page devoted to sentient poo characters: > **[Talking Poo - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TalkingPoo)** > > ... But what if they could? Sentient feces. Living dung. Intelligent droppings. Basically, poo that's alive. Doesn't necessarily have to speak, as long as it's sentient. Anthropomorphised doodoo is generally for comedic purposes, but there are … ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/19 "2024-12-21T11:07:59Z")
> [@solost](#): > > > [@CalMeacham](#): > > > > a popular Catalan saying for use before a meal is _menja bé, caga fort i no tinguis por a la mort!_ (“Eat well, shit heartily, and don’t be afraid of death!”). > > I mean, as ‘words to live by’ go, you could do worse than that saying. I’m sure it works even better in its native Catalan, since it rhymes! Beats the shit out of “Live, Laugh, Love”. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828/20 "2024-12-25T02:39:07Z")
Caga tio all! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-catalonian-poopy-christmas/1011828.md?page=2)