Hey everyone! It’s getting quite cold outside, so why not warm your frosty fingers while visiting me? I don’t know about you guys, but winter is not my favorite and I’m already having to mentally prepare myself for the impending doom that is my mother’s Santa face collection. If you haven’t read my blog from last year or listened to the podcast, feel free to check it out and live through the absolute horror that is hundreds of staring, decapitated Santa heads with me!
Anyway, although you all may think that this is a little predictable, let’s talk Christmas once again! Straying away from Santa Claus, I thought it might be fun to describe a frankly hilarious and wonderful Christmas tradition that I have only heard about recently. Although you may be expecting me to tell you all about hiding pickles, that is not what this is about! We are going to travel to the Catalonian province of Spain where we’ll find a Tió de Nadal gracing the homes of many families throughout the province.
The Tió de Nadal, or the Christmas Log, is just that! A hollowed-out log standing on one or two legs with a smiling face and little red hat to one end and a blanket draped over the back. This is the modern variation of the log, but it looks more friendly than the traditional look of a regular hollowed out log in my own humble opinion. The tradition involves children being given the task of taking care of the log, covering it with a blanket to keep it warm and giving it food to keep it fed. It’s like giving a kid a pet rock, it doesn’t do much, but it does teach some responsibility! As Christmas day rolls around children gather round, sing songs to the log, and then after taking care of it for days, they beat it with sticks! I would do it just for some stress relief, but the children are rewarded for beating the living daylights out of the log, which is the opposite of teaching them responsibility. Singing a song called “Caga Tió,” which I will not translate for you because I don’t want to get in trouble for having a potty mouth, children beat the log in hopes of it pooping candy and treats. The song is literally commanding this log to poop treats and I highly recommend that you listen to it because it is very catchy, but they really beat their happy little log friend who they took care of and are rewarded for it.
Even if there is a moral dilemma with this one, I love hearing about traditions from around the world, and I really wanted to share this one with people here. Explore some other holiday traditions and consider making a Tió de Nadal for a new memorable Christmas tradition!
