The Caganer

AKA: None found

Origin: Catalonia, Spain

History:

The Caganer is an important character of the celebration of Christmas mainly in Catalonia, Spain, but also in other parts of Spain, Portugal and South Italy, as well as other neighboring countries. This particular character goes back to the late 17th - early 18th century, but didn’t become popular until the 19th century, and his exact origins are a bit fuzzy. He is shown to be a peasant lurking in a bush in the classical Nativity scene. He’s not center stage with baby Jesus, Mary, or Joseph, but now he’s a must-have for any Catalan Nativity scene.

What’s so weird about him?

I’ll just get it out of the way, his name literally translates to “the shitter.” And what was he doing in the bush? Why, living up to his name of course! He’s typically shown wearing a red hat and his pants around his ankles just doing his business. And nowadays you can buy one with a large variety of the traditional one to celebrities, football players, Hello Kitty, and even Barack Obama.

While this may seem as a weird, and maybe even a tad bit offensive, take on the tranquil Nativity scene, the supporters say it has symbolic purposes. The Caganer represents fertilization of the Earth and bring in a good harvest and luck for the following year. Some say that it’s meant to show that we’re all equal because “everyone poops”. And besides, it’s all in good fun and is meant to add some humor into the holidays!

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designer: Pentagram Design Inc.

detail, 19th Century, Coloured illustrations of Buddhist heavens and hells, Burmese, British Library.

The Sutro tower in San Francisco surrounded by fog looks like a Dutchman ship