Caganers, a special souvenir from Catalunya

When you walk in the shopping streets in Catalunya you may have seen them in some shops, the Caganers. the sitting figure that shits. You see the original one, the farmer with his typical Catalan hat, a red girdle and black pants, but also celebrities, comic figures, professions and more.

It is believed that the sitting figure with their faeces fertilize the soil for the following year. It is then also a Catalan Christmas figure. It is said that not exhibiting him brings misfortune since his feces fertilize the ground and also bring luck and happiness for the year ahead.

The Canager is not the only Christmas tradition. There is also the Tió, a log that you keep under the Christmas Tree and needs to be fed until Christmas Eve. Then the children have to sing a song and beat the log so he will shit the presents! A shitting tradition is Christmas here!

Celebrity Canagers

For many celebrities is has become an honour to have their own Caganer figure and there are many. One of the latest one is Messi with the world cup but there are many to choose from.

As coming from Holland I also found a Dutch national who has his own Caganer: Ronald Koeman, the former player and coach of FC Barcelona.

Have a look at all the caganers you can buy in one of the shops or online.

How Caganers are made and Workshop Caganers

In the video below you will see how these caganers are made. There are also workshops in which they explain more about this tradition and you can get to paint your own caganer.