Well, it's a week til Christmas! Life here as been pretty hectic getting ready. My family has been busy putting up decorations and preparing for different parts of the day. Our kitchen currently reeks of fish because my host dad is attempting new recipes for Christmas Day. I won't be here, but its been interesting to see the cultural aspect of a Spanish Christmas.
Decorations around Barcelona went up around Thanksgiving here, including a huge snowflake display at our local Cortes Ingles(think Macy's circa 1950) and Christmas trees up and down Aviguda Diagonal. They've even set up two different ice skating rinks near my house. I won't go, but its pretty cool to see them when I'm walking around.
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| Our Christmas Tree |
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| Holly and Snowmen up the Stairs |
Our house is pretty simply decorated. We have a Christmas tree(but its fake) and some things hanging up around the house. People don't do much here, but the holiday season lasts for quite some time. The day of Christmas, they open gifts from the
Tió de Nadal. This is one of the strangest holiday traditions I have ever heard of, and its only celebrated in Catalunya. It is similar to a yule log(closest thing I could think of).
The
Tió is basically a log with face and a little red hat with legs. He sits under our Christmas tree, and has a little plate of food in front of him. Beginning after December 8th(The Immaculate Conception), we feed him every day. The food "disappears" and we continue to bring him new food. So far, we've given him cookies and crackers.
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| Our Tio |
Normally, he is supposed to sit by a fireplace, but since we don't have one...the Christmas tree. He also is covered with a little blanket to keep him warm. I honestly have no idea where the tradition came from, but my host dad told me that while no actual date is known for his existence, he is a log because fire is considered so precious. His sole goal is to give presents! So, the family will take care of him from the Immaculate Conception until Christmas. Then, they place him on a table(still covered with the blanket, and...well, they beat him with a stick and sing a song. This is a version of the song I found:
Caga tió,
caga torró,
avellanes i mato,
si no cagues bé
et daré un cop de bastó.
caga tió!
The entire family participates in this, A said they have about 30 people come, which is alot in our tiny apartment. After they've sung the song, the family lifts the blanket and under the table, he has left a present! Yes, the
Tió literally...uh...defecates...out a present. When I first heard this, I thought the person telling me was kidding. Nope, home I went to confirm it. Turns out it was true and now I'm witnessing the part before they beat the
Tió. They do this for a while and when he is finished giving presents, the
Tió will leave a roll of toilet paper under the table.
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| Nativity |
Another popular tradition is to have a nativity. Here, it's a huge deal, unlike in the States, where it is simply a religious thing, EVERYONE does it here. They have a fair at Sagrada Familia dedicated to just getting different pieces of the Nativity. I don't just mean the traditional characters, but the stable, the different animals and things to make a village as well. We have one set up in the corner, A's aunt M came and set it up with the girls.
After Christmas, they look forward to the arrival of the Three Kings, which is January 6th. Stayed tuned for that! I'm sorry to be missing the tradition of the
Tió, because seeing is believing!
