The Pooping Log and Other Strange Christmas Customs

Our very own Miss Cellania wrote a really neat article for mental_floss about 8 truly strange Christmas customs. This one to the left is "Caga Tió" or the "pooping log.":

The Catalan custom is still celebrated in Spain, where you can buy your own el Caga Tió. The log is hollowed out, with legs and a face added. You must “feed” him every day beginning on December 8th. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, put him in the fireplace and beat him with sticks until he poops out small candies, fruits, and nuts. When he is through, the final object dropped is a salt herring, a garlic bulb, or an onion. Oh yeah, there is a traditional song the family can sing to encourage the process.

poop log,
poop turrón,
hazelnuts and cottage cheese,
if you don’t poop well,
I’ll hit you with a stick,
poop log!

Link


I would also like to add that the Catalonian's also have a tradition of placing a figure like Santa Clause squatting down taking a dump beside baby Jesus in their nativity scenes. They also have a saying which translates into "Eat well; shit hard"!
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I remember seeing this on a Teletubby video my kids were watching. I thought it was the strangest tradition. No wonder kids love bathroom jokes with traditions like this!
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Seems my last comment was removed, I guess I could have used the word "poop" instead. I wanted to add that the Catalonian's had a saying which translates to "Eat well; Poop hard"!
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Raina_c, it's not about bathroom humor. These are actually deeply set cultural traditions in Catalan. I must admit that I admire the parallels they have with Christianity and the act of taking a dump.
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Well, I am Spanish myself and it's the first time I heard such a thing. I am perfectly familiar with the craping figurine that you place along with the nativity, shepherds, sheep, the three Wise Men, angels, houses, and the silver foil river, but it's the first time I hear about this song the gift-inducing S&M ritual. Weird stuff...
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