Spain: a pooping log

Catalonians have a tradition that involves drawing faces on a log, feeding it food scraps for weeks, then beating the log on Christmas Eve with a stick until it defecates nougat candy. This unusual act is called Caga Tió, and the traditional candy is called turrón. Nobody is quite sure how it came to be other than dating it to pagan celebrations of the Winter Solstice. Like the Yule log, villages in Catalan selected a special large tree to burn throughout the winter. At some point, this morphed into the idea of bringing branches into the home, dressing and ‘feeding’ the logs, and then beating them so they could give back delicious sweets instead of heat. This giving back part is described as pooping, but nobody seems to know why. If you’re in Barcelona in December, look for stalls selling friendly logs with red hats and caramel, chocolate, almond or honey turrón available in local markets.

In Ethiopia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th according to their unique Ge’ez calendar, which is also seven to eight years behind our own Gregorian calendar. Ethiopia is also the only country in the world to use a 12-hour time system based on sunrise and sunset. Lithuanians join the Bulgarians with 12 dishes on Christmas Eve, only each dish represents a different apostle. During Christmas in Czechia, unmarried women throw a shoe over their shoulder, with the shoe’s resulting position on the floor determining prospects for marriage in the new year. If the toe points towards a door, luck is in your favour. In Australia, beach towns hold Santa surf competitions, while in Guatemala, families create large bonfires with devil effigies to ward off evil spirits. 

While Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu countries don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, expat communities gather to feast with friends and families, incorporating local and cultural quirks along the way. 

Wherever you choose to carve your turkey and whatever traditions you follow, I wish you all the best for the holidays.