Finally, the 3 Kings have arrived! Spanish children have finally recevied their presents, from the Spanish version of “Santa”. The 3 wise men or the 3 Kings, arrived with a big pararde yesterday afternoon, bringing gifts and presents to the children, which was already listed in their letters to “The Majesties”. The parade takes place in all cities, but also locally, in small villages. At the end of the Parade, the Mayor of the city/village, gives a magic key to the 3 Kings, which gives them access to all the houses in the county. In the evening, the families set out food & drinks for the camels, and when children wake up (normally very early!!) on the 6th of January, His Majesties, have left plenty of presents during the night. Today is a day for family gatherings, and tradition is to eat the “Epiphany Cake”. And tomorrow, the Sales start in all the shops! Felizes Reyes everyone!
Rough night for this little guy.
While most of the western world prepare themselves for receiving Santa Claus tonight, the Catalans have a different twist to the gift exchange. This little guy, the “Cagatio”, will be in charge of joy and play (and maybe some anger release), while children beat him, so that he can “crap” their gifts! The story built up around the “Cagatió” keep children busy the days before Christmas. Sometimes families go to the woods and “accidentally” stumbles over him or he might show up misteriously on your doorstep, any day in December. The children feed him with bread, cookies or fruit and by Christmas Eve, he’s so full, that when they beat him with a stick, while singing a rhyme, he will crap presents for all. You might think it’s strange to relate crap and Christmas presents, but historically crap meant good luck, as it was used to fertilize the soil, in order to obtain a great harvest. Spain has many traditions different from the rest of Europe, but the “Cagatió” is a local tradition in Catalonia, and can’t be found anywhere else. Even Hollywood celebrities have told their version of this.
Check it out here:
Viggo Mortensen explica a 1 televisió dels EUA com els catalans fan cagar el tió.
We wish you a very, merry Christmas, whatever your traditions might be, and will follow up with more, local traditions in 2019.