{"id":101119,"date":"2019-12-12T13:01:13","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T12:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=101119"},"modified":"2019-12-12T13:01:13","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T12:01:13","slug":"traditions-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/traditions-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s&#8230; Christmas 2019!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Christmas is one of the most important Catholic traditions and holidays, and although we share certain customs and traditions all over the world, some countries and regions have their own customs when it comes to Christmas.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Christmas in Catalonia is pure, simple and joyous<\/strong>. It is less consumption-based than in other Anglo-Saxon countries, and it is celebrated more from a religious perspective.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So today, this article by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=traditions-christmas&amp;utm_campaign=home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>ShBarcelona<\/strong><\/a> will share a few Catalan Christmas traditions with you.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/decorating-your-house-for-christmas\/\">Decorating Your House For Christmas<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Tabla de contenidos<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/traditions-christmas\/#Catalan-Christmas-traditions\" title=\"Catalan Christmas traditions\">Catalan Christmas traditions<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/traditions-christmas\/#Caganer\" title=\"Caganer\">Caganer<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/traditions-christmas\/#The-Christmas-play-of-Els-Pastorets\" title=\"The Christmas play of Els Pastorets\">The Christmas play of Els Pastorets<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/traditions-christmas\/#LHome-dels-Nassos\" title=\"L&#8217;Home dels Nassos\">L&#8217;Home dels Nassos<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/traditions-christmas\/#Caga-tio\" title=\"Caga ti\u00f3\">Caga ti\u00f3<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Catalan-Christmas-traditions\"><\/span>Catalan Christmas traditions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Caganer\"><\/span>Caganer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_101122\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-101122\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-101122\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/en\/2019\/12\/Photo-by-Carlos-Lorenzo-via-Visualhunt-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"caganer tradition\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-101122\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo by Carlos Lorenzo via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The \u2018<strong><em>caganer<\/em><\/strong><em>\u2019<\/em> is a typical Catalan figurine that is added to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/living-nativity-scenes-in-barcelona\/\"><strong>nativity scene<\/strong><\/a>. It was originally a representation of a shepherd with a bonnet, with his pants down and squatting to poop. This figurine is a funny addition to the scene of Jesus\u2019 birth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is believed that this tradition originates from somewhere between the end of the 17<sup>th<\/sup> and the beginning of the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century, within the context of a Baroque style that was characterized by <strong>exaggerated realism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This figurine can also be seen in other places, like on antique tiles depicting images of normal, everyday activities. The caganer plays a role in Catalan and Aragonese Pyrenees\u2019 nativity scenes, and it started at the end of the seventeenth century, although the <strong>tradition peaked<\/strong> in the nineteenth century.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The caganer represents a shepherd or farmer, dressed in traditional Catalan costumes, like a belt and bonnet.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The <strong>caganer<\/strong> became extremely popular when they turned into <strong>famous personalities<\/strong>, from actors and politicians to other celebrities and sportsmen.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">You can find caganers in many different neighbourhoods in Barcelona, but the most popular location to go to is the <strong>Fira de Santa Ll\u00facia<\/strong> in the <span class=\"removed_link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/apartments-for-rent\/long-term\/barcelona\/ciutat-vella?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=traditions-christmas&amp;utm_campaign=silo-gotic\"><strong>neighbourhood of El G<\/strong><strong>\u00f3tic<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The-Christmas-play-of-Els-Pastorets\"><\/span>The Christmas play of Els Pastorets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Els Pastorets (or the Little Shepherds) is a 16<sup>th<\/sup> century theatre play. It usually consists of three acts: a short story about Joseph and Mary, followed by the struggle between angels and demons and ending with a short, but funny story focusing on the shepherds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The play of Pastorcillos or Els Pastorets is still<strong> very popular in Catalonia<\/strong> at the beginning of the 21st century. The story of the shepherds originally came from medieval religious dramas. The officium pastorum is the origin of ancient celebrations, and it has been performed at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/typical-catalan-dishes-to-celebrate-christmas\/\"><strong>Christmas<\/strong><\/a> by religious people during the traditional Midnight mass.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/catalan-christmas\/\">Catalan Christmas Traditions<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"LHome-dels-Nassos\"><\/span>L&#8217;Home dels Nassos<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_101120\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-101120\" class=\"wp-image-101120 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/en\/2019\/12\/Photo-by-Barcelona.cat-via-Visualhunt-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"man of noses\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-101120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo by Barcelona.cat via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>El Hombre de las Narices<\/em> (the Man of many Noses in English or L\u2019Home dels Nassos in Catalan), is a <strong>mythological character<\/strong>, and you find this tradition not only in Catalonia, but also in Aragon, La Rioja, Navarre, Alava, and Burgos.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Legend says this man has as many noses as there are days left in the year, so with every day that passes, he loses a nose. Humans (but especially children, who love this tradition) can only see him at the end of the year, on <strong>December 31<\/strong>, when he only has one nose left on his face.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Caga-tio\"><\/span>Caga ti\u00f3<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tradition of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/caga-tio-a-catalan-christmas-tradition\/\"><strong>caga ti\u00f3<\/strong><\/a> is especially popular with younger children. You celebrate it on <strong>Christmas Eve<\/strong>, and children are supposed to hit a trunk (called ti\u00f3) while singing <strong>traditional<\/strong> <strong>caga ti\u00f3 songs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When children hit the trunk hard enough, it will release <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/some-ideas-for-original-christmas-gifts\/\"><strong>gifts<\/strong><\/a>. These gifts used to be <strong>sweets<\/strong> and knick-knacks, but nowadays people tend to spend more money on serious presents.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>*Main photo by calafellvalo via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>What do you think of these Catalan Christmas traditions?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christmas is one of the most important Catholic traditions and holidays, and although we share certain customs and traditions all over the world, some countries and regions have their own customs when it comes to Christmas. Christmas in Catalonia is pure, simple and joyous. It is less consumption-based than in other Anglo-Saxon countries, and it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":557507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52562],"tags":[56796,68214,68216],"class_list":["post-101119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catalan-folklore","tag-catalan-traditions","tag-traditions-barcelona","tag-traditions-catalonia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/97"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/557507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}