Scatological greetings
BARCELONA, Spain | The Virgin Mary. The three kings. A few wayward sheep.
These are the figures one expects to find in a traditional Christmas nativity scene. Not a smartly dressed peasant squatting behind a rock with his rear end exposed.
Yet statuettes of El Caganer, or the great defecator in the Catalan language, can be found in nativity scenes, and increasingly on the mantelpieces of collectors, throughout Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region.
For centuries, symbols of defecation have played an important role in Christmas festivities in the region. The traditions come from an agricultural society where defecation was associated with fertility and health.
During the holiday season, pastry shops sell sweets shaped like feces, and on Christmas Eve, Catalan children beat a hollow log packed with holiday gifts, singing a song that urges it to defecate presents out the other end.
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"I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight 'Merry Christmass to all and to all a good s$%^!'"