HOLY CRAP!

Tió de Nadal AKA Caga Tió

It’s not tio as in “uncle” or “guy.” It’s tió meaning “log” and the Tió de Nadal is a special Christmas log that has even Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen and the American actress Kate McKinnon hooked. The Tió is given human physical features (eyes, eyebrows, nose, legs, an occasional beard), wrapped in a blanket for warmth and crowned with the traditional red Catalan barretina (hat). Much like putting ornaments on a Christmas tree, it’s customary for the whole family to come together before the Christmas season to create or pick out a Tió and then in the weeks leading up to Christmas the kids take over.

Beginning on December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, children “feed” the tió every night using peels from fruits, vegetables and other natural wastes—some say in an attempt to get the children to eat healthy—in hopes that the Tió will excrete more and more goodies for them at Christmas.

When the big day arrives (often Christmas Eve or Christmas Day in some homes), children beat the Tió with sticks so he’ll “drop his load” of candy, figurines and small toys, as well as food and drink for Christmas and Sant Esteve meals, such as torrons (traditional nougat), champagne, dried figs and mandarins. While they hit him, it’s customary to sing a song whose words vary from town to town but the tune stays the same. A typical version goes like this:

Caga tió,

caga torrons, avellanes i

mató,

si no cagues bé

et daré un cop de bastó.

Caga tió!

Shit log,

shit nougat, hazelnuts and

cheese,

if you don’t shit well,

I’ll hit you with a stick.

Shit log!

An Uncertain History

While no one really knows for sure, it is believed that the Tió is a vestige of ancient pagan Yule celebrations. Originating in Scandinavia, it is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals and it centered on themes of light, fire and feasting. By about the ninth century the term "Yule" came to be synonymous with Christmas and many of its customs were absorbed into the holiday as well, including the burning of the Yule log—a log so large that it burned continuously during the multi-day festival.

Throughout Europe, burning the Yule log came to be an important Christmas tradition. A tree was carefully chosen and, with much ceremony, it was cut down, brought into the home and placed in the fireplace. Starting with the largest end, it was lit on Christmas Day and the fire was fed during the twelve days of Christmas to assure that its flame would no go out. The ashes were kept to fertilize the coming year's crops and it was believed that any remaining, unburnt pieces protected a house from fire, lightning or hail and brought good luck in the coming year.

To this day remnants of the Yule log tradition live on. In many homes the modern Yule log is a simple festive decoration—a small log decorated with evergreen branches, holly, pine cones and candles. One of its most well-known manifestations is the bûche de Noël from France. This very creatively decorated—and delicious—Christmas cake in the shape of a Yule log makes an impressive centerpiece to the holiday meal and has become popular just about everywhere Christmas is celebrated. So while it's not nearly as widespread as its French counterpart, the Catalan Tió de Nadal seems likely to have sprung from the same pagan origins.

Caganer

The tradition of the caganer is believed to go back 300 years to an Iberian votive depicting a holy warrior defecating, which was discovered near Tornabous in Urgell. Now you can find them in the Christmas markets, in the shapes of local and international figures like the Queen of England, Donald Trump, Leo Messi and Spiderman.

Originally, the caganer was a necessary figure in the nativity scene. He was thought to bring good luck and happiness to the family, and his fecal droppings were a symbol of wealth and the promise of a productive new year.

The caganer is still often placed within the Catalan nativity scene today. Local nativity scenes generally depict the entire town of Bethlehem and the caganer is usually found crouched in a corner. When a Barcelona city-commissioned nativity scene in 2005 didn’t include a caganer, citizens launched the campaign “Salvem el caganer” (save the caganer) and it was restored in 2006. In December 2010, a six-meter tall (19 feet, 8.2 inches) caganer was placed in the Maremagnum Shopping Center and grabbed the Guinness World Record for largest caganer.

Published December 2012, updated December 8, 2023.