Words and photos by Marta Nieves Gomez, ASA’s European Operations Manager and Barcelona Site Director.

Like in many other aspects of our Catalan culture, in Barcelona, we have our own way of celebrating Christmas. We have several very unique traditions here that you won’t find anywhere else in Spain (or in the world) and some of them are weird.

One of the most interesting Christmas traditions is the Caga Tió or Tió de Nadal. You can find it in practically every Catalan home around the holidays. It’s a wooden log with a smiling face painted onto one end. It wears a traditional Catalan red hat and brings all the gifts for Christmas. Children take care of the log until Christmas Eve, covering him with a blanket to keep him warm and feeding him. When Christmas comes, the children will beat the log with a stick while singing a traditional song until he “poops” out the presents under the blanket. Caga Tió means “pooping log” in English. The more the kids take care of him, the more presents he will “poop out” at Christmas.

Another bizarre tradition is the Caganer. The traditional Catalan nativity scene is never complete without a caganer. In addition to the normal figures, in Catalonia, you will find a little figurine of a man pooping called a “caganer” hidden inside the nativity scene. The meaning behind the caganer is debated, but the custom has been around in Catalonia since the 18th century and is usually said to symbolize fertility and good fortune, especially for farmers in the coming year. You can find the traditional figures – with their traditional Catalan red hat – in any Christmas market in Catalonia along with spin-off versions with the faces of famous people such as politicians, royalty, and football players.

In Catalonia, we love "poop".

Bon Nadal! Feliz Navidad! Merry Xmas!