Strangest Mysteries of the World and Beyond !

Catalan defecator

Catalan defecator 

Making a manger scene is a favorite activity for the whole family. One of the favorite activities for children during the days leading to Christmas is to help their parents set up the manger scene or "Belen" in Spanish ("Pessebre" in Catalan).

Some of the traditional commonly displayed set ups are: little farms with animal figurines, a well with a figurine of a woman carrying an anaphor on her head, haystacks, little bonfires for the shepherds -so they can cook their soup in the cold December night--surrounded by a small flock of sheep and goats, rustic bridges over little streams --made of aluminum foil-- (some even manage to have running water in their streams).

Of course, the figurines of the three wise men, their camels and pages, and their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh are always present too. And let's not forget the most important part, the Manger house, where we can find baby Jesus laying in the manger, Mary and Joseph, the Angel, and the faithful cow and donkey on the very back.

Christmas traditions in Catalonia, Spain as well as in most of Italy and Southern France, are a tad bit different: the nativity scene contains a guy who defecates.

The Caganer, means “the defecator” in Catalan, A figurine of a man with his pants down, in the very act of defecation.

The Catalan obsession with scatology is baffling to visitors from outside of Catalonia. It's a Catalan tradition to put a caganer (literally pooper) next to the crib, a guy who poops. (The “caganer” figurine is the strange but indispensable) one that must be in all Catalan Nativity scenes for it to be complete. They usually place him in a secluded area, behind a rock or a tree and away from the manger scene and in recent times it has evolved from a traditionally dressed man taking care of business to figurines of celebrities, nuns, politicians and Santa Claus.

It is fun for the children to look all over the “Pessebre” trying to spot the ¨Caganer¨.

In fact, the caganer has been a feature of the Catalan nativity scene for at least two centuries.

There is the legend that if a countryside man did not put a caganer in the nativity scene, he would have a very bad year collecting vegetables.

The figurine is said to be a symbol of fertility and good fortune.

There are some other theories: that defecation is the great leveler, a reminder that we are all equal. Or it is said to be just another humorous take.

The Catholic Church has turned a blind eye to this tradition and kind of accepted it as a peculiarity of the Catalan parishioners.

This is why even in the Nativity scenes build in most churches, the little “Catalan defecator” can also be found.