In Catalonia, one of the most exciting Christmas, or Nadal traditions is the Tío de Nadal. This is a tree trunk that comes around with sweets. Well, the idea is that he goes #2 to release the sweets! Although, it might make you giggle, this is one of the biggest Christmas traditions here in Barcelona. All around the city, you will see little logs that represent the Caga Tió, or the more correct name: Tió de Nadal.
I learned about the Caga Tió tradition. When you come to Catalonia around the Christmas holiday, you will see that this is a very big deal. In Barcelona, where I am, you can see him everywhere you go!
The log has a smiley face painted on him and a little red sock hat. Children hit him with a stick until he... goes #2 and releases a traditional sweet called turrón.
The tradition began around 300 years ago, in the 1700s. The little log was burned on Christmas to make a sweet smell of burned wood. This activity represented that the farmer's crops would grow, and have a good year ahead. The Tió de Nadal was meant to be good luck.
