The Tió de Nadal (roughly "Christmas log"), also known as "Tió" ("log"), or "Tronca" ("trunk"), is a mythological character in Catalan myths and legends are the traditional myths and legends of the Catalan-speaking world, especially Catalonia itself, passed down for generations as part of that regions popular culture. Among the figures of Catalan mythology are: Aloja Catalan mythology about witches Dip Dona daigua Donyet Dragons Drac (generally... Catalan mythology relating to a Christmas tradition widespread in Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 6th   32 114 km²  6,3% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 2nd  6 506 440  ... Catalonia.

Beating the Tió de Nadal

The form of the tió de Nadal found in many Catalan homes during the holiday season is a hollow log of about 0.3m length, typically standing up on two or four little stick legs with a broad smiling face painted on the higher of the two ends, enhanced by a little red sock hat (a miniature of the traditional Catalan barretina) and often a three-dimensional nose.

Beginning with the Feast of the The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine which asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin at the time of her own conception. Specifically the doctrine says she was not afflicted by the privation of sanctifying grace which afflicts mankind... Immaculate Conception ( December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 23 days remaining. Events 1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogma of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin. 1886 - American Federation of Labor... December 8), one gives the tió a little bit to "eat" every night and usually covers him with a little blanket so that he will not be cold at night.

On Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. According to the Christian gospels, Jesus was born to Mary in Bethlehem, where she and her... Christmas day or, depending on the particular household, during a Christmas party, one puts the tió partly into the fireplace and orders it to "shit" (the fire part of this tradition is no longer as widespread as it once was, since many modern homes do not have a fireplace). To make him "shit", one beats him with sticks, while singing various songs of Tió de Nadal.

Download high resolution version (614x800, 144 KB)Photograph of a Caga Tió. Taken by Todd Kelley 20 December 2004 at Victors house in Castellar del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version...

Download high resolution version (614x800, 144 KB)Photograph of a Caga Tió. Taken by Todd Kelley 20 December 2004 at Victors house in Castellar del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version...

Photograph of a typical contemporary Caga Tió

The tió does not drop larger objects, as those are brought by the The Three Wise Men are given the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar in this late 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of St Apollinarius in Ravenna, Italy. The Three Wise Men in Christian Mythology In Christian mythology, the Three Wise Men, also known as the Three Magi (from the Greek... Three Wise Men. It does leave candies, nuts and torrons. Depending on the part of Catalonia, it may also give out dried figs. When nothing is left to "shit", it drops a salt herring, a head of garlic, an onion or "urinates". What comes out of the tió is a communal rather than individual gift, shared by everyone present.

In addition to the names listed in the opening paragraph, the additional nickname "Caga Tió" ("shit log") derives from the many songs of Tió de Nadal that begin with this phrase, which was originally (in the context of the songs) an imperative ("Shit, log"). The use of this expression as a name is not believed to be part of the ancient tradition.

The tradition of the tió could be related to that of the A Christmas tree in a German home One of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas, the Christmas tree is normally an evergreen conifer tree that is brought in the house or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the... Christmas tree.

See also

• A traditional Catalan caganer from the front. A Caganer (kə-γə-ne) is a little statue unique to Spain, and neighbouring areas with Catalan influence such as Andorra. In their Nativity scenes, the Catalans have added an extra character that is not found in the manger scenes of... Caganer
• Songs of Tió de Nadal on Wikisource is a sister project to Wikipedia that aims to create a free wiki compendium of primary source texts in any language, as well as translations of source texts. Originally called Project Sourceberg (after Project Gutenberg) during the planning stages for the project, the site was officially named Wikisource on... Wikisource.