Christmas Market in Barcelona

One of the most typical traditions in Barcelona is the Christmas Market located opposite the Cathedral. There you can buy 'nativity' little figures and other Xmas goodies.

One of the most successful nativity figures is 'el Caganer' or the pooping man. It is always present in Catalan Nativity displays. The idea of 'el Caganer' isn't at all disrespectful, but it is a symbol of good luck, his poo fertilises the land and provides a good harvest for he year to come. In this Xmas market there were famous porcelain 'Caganer' figures such as the Spanish or the British Royal family....



Darth Vader, Spiderman, the Pope and a lot of polititians (Obama...).




Another peculiar Xmas tradition that we have here in Barcelona is the CAGA TIO. This is a wooden log with a smiley face painted or/and carved onto one end. It also wears a traditional Catalan red hat (barretina) On Christmas Eve it is covered with a blanket and it is fed so that it can poo as many presents as possible. The presents appear under the blanket but Caga Tio often needs some help or persuasion to poo the presents out. It is hit with a stick.