El caganer (front)
Here’s a festive question for you to ponder: what character would you least
expect to find in a Christmas crib, alongside the new born baby Jesus, his
virgin mother Mary, Joseph, the cow - or ox or whatever it is whose breathe
kept them warm on that cold night in December- and the donkey, the three Magi,
and perhaps a few shepherds? OK, don't think too much about it. How about Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, or Cristiano Ronaldo. Hello Kitty?
Homer Simpson? The Michelin Man? Tin Tin? And if that wasn't incongruent enough, just to make it that a little bit
weirder, why not have them squatting, with their pants down, as they excrete –
or have just done so - a perfectly formed ring of poop. Actually, let’s cut the, ehrm, crap, and be straight about it, and call it ‘shit’, now that we're being scatological.
I’m not kidding! What I have just described is a modern take
on a Catalan tradition that, according to Robert Hughes (in Barcelona, The Harvill Press, 1992, p 27, to be precise) dates back
to the 16th century and has been as much part of a Catalan crib as
the manger since the 19th century (as a portant of good luck, no
less): the caganer (shitter).
Originally, (as pictured) the caganer
was always a man in Catalan costume, but he has now been replaced by representations of
figures of politics, sports and entertainment, as well as pop icons, as the
whole thing has acquired a bit of a satirical edge.
Since new figures are added annually according to has been
in the headlines, this year’s star caganer
, reports La Vanguardia, is
Felix Millet, the ex-Director of The Palau de la Musica Catalana, who has been
in the news since last July, following his involvement in a scandal at the
Palau that involves the disappearance involves millions of euros.
It's definitely a lot more fun than the Christmas fairy!
Updated caganers on sale in a Barcelona shop (excluding Mary, Joseph and The Three Magi)
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