The Tio de Nadal (meaning “Christmas log”), also known as soca, is part of Catalan and Aragonese mythology. Several days before Christmas, people all around the world get together to choose a suitable wood or sturdy branch. Usually, on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Tio is put in a corner of the home with a blanket to keep it warm, and it is fed every day until the day it is to “defecate.” It’s a long-standing tradition in various Spain regions like Catalonia and Aragon (called tizon de Nadal/Navidat), the French, Italian, and Spanish region of Occitania (called cachafuoc or soc de Nadal), a nearby sovereign state Andorra, and, though not as widely, in Mallorca (called Nadaler), an island in Spain.
The Origin of Tio de Nadal
In the Spanish community of Galicia, a trunk called “Christmas blight” is allowed to burn from Christmas Eve to New Year’s to drive the spirits away from the house. Thus, Tio de Nadal might be related to the Yule log tradition which has Germanic or Scandinavian paganism at its origin. The roots of this tradition are believed by some to have Moorish origins. The special nougat known as turrón that Tio de Nadal poops, which is prominently featured in December, is thought to have been brought to Al-Andalus by Moorish conquerors during the Middle Ages.
16th-century documents note that turrón has been enjoyed during Christmas since time immemorial. Initially a rural tradition, the Christmas log has recently extended its presence to urban areas. Turrón was initially linked with opulence, and in certain regions, such as Alicante city in Spain, agricultural laborers were compensated during the Christmas season with a combination of coins and turrón. The early rendition of the Christmas log was a substantial log ignited during the midwinter gathering, which later acquired a more symbolic significance and the name Tió de Nadal.
The Tradition That Surrounds Tio de Nadal
A Tio de Nadal may be as simple as a plank of wood, a few chairs, a slab of cork, or a box, with its dimensions determined by the available area and the number of presents it will have to “excrete.” It is a custom with centuries of history, first tied to nature, fertility, and the winter solstice. The Tio de Nadal is a ritual of rural origin, symbolizing abundance. It is an old and dry log that gifts sweets (Turrón) and treats from its insides. It is a prayer for the rebirth of nature after the winter season.
Over time, with the disappearance of the fireplace in homes, the custom of burning Tio de Nadal after its “defecation” has also disappeared, along with the customs around the remaining ashes. These ashes were used as protective elements against lightning, bugs, fires, etc. in homes and fields.
This traditional Catalan holiday decoration has been transformed from its original rustic form into a 12-inch hollow log with a painted happy face, stick legs, and a little red hat (barretina) today. The original Tio de Nadal was simply a naturally deformed piece of wood that looked morbid.
Around December 8, during the Immaculate Conception celebration, people feed the Tio every day and make sure to keep it warm by covering it with a blanket. Fruits, vegetables, sawdust, and eggs are all acceptable to the Tio, as are items like grass that aren’t suitable for round-hoofed animals. Water is also provided for it. There are several regional customs that have ingrained preferences for certain foods when it comes to feeding this “animal”.
Prior to the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day family supper, the Tio de Nadal is traditionally forced to defecate on December 24th or 25th. In homes with a fireplace, some put the Tio there for a while to make it defecate, or others simply burn it to perform this act. However, because most modern houses do not have fireplaces, they are seldom burned now.
There is also the term “cagatio,” referring to the celebration of making the Tio de Nadal defecate. While using this word, it is appropriate to refer to the celebration but not to the Tio itself. The word originates from traditional songs that begin with these words, where “caga” is an imperative verb, for example: “Caga, tio, ametlles i torro” (“Defecate, log, almonds and nougat”).
Beating the Tio de Nadal Until It Poops Gifts
In order to get Tio de Nadal to defecate, kids are often taken to another room to pray or sing Christmas songs. Then, people start to strike Tio de Nadal with a stick in turns or all together to the rhythm of the appropriate song or verse. This process is continued until the Tio either ceases defecating or produces a gift indicative of this, such as a well-seasoned herring, coal, garlic, or onion, or it “urinates” on the ground.
Beforehand, adults in the house hide sweets under the blanket during a moment when the children aren’t paying attention, capitalizing on the kids’ belief in the magical appearance of treats. Throughout the song, the Tio is gently smacked with a stick, but on the words “Shit tió!” (Caga tió!) the blow is amplified. The children then reach beneath the blanket to get their presents. Subsequently, the children are led to another area of the house under the guise of an excuse, allowing time to stash additional sweets and gifts under the blanket. The children are then encouraged to beat the tió once more, expecting it to “produce” more sweets and gifts. After the present is unwrapped, the song starts up again.
Original
Caga tió,
avellanes i torró,
no caguis arengades
que són massa salades,
caga torrons
que són més bons.
Caga tió,
ametlles i torró,
i, si no vols cagar,
et donaré un cop de bastó!
Caga tió!
Meaning
Shit, tió,
hazelnuts and nougats,
do not shit herrings,
they are too salty,
shit nougats
they taste better.
Shit, tió,
almonds and nougats,
and if you don’t want to shit
I will hit you with a stick!
Shit, tió!
The Tio typically produce food and drink items for Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day (December 26) meals, such as nougat, champagne, dried figs, mandarins, etc., but not large gifts because the Three Wise Men take on the role of Santa Claus in these regions. This Christmas log also poops sweets, nativity figurines, and simple toys for children that beat it good.
In other households, however, the Tio de Nadal has taken on more significance, and this log is now the one that buys the bulk of the Christmas presents (both large and small) for the kids or the whole family. In order for it to poop bigger gifts, people would typically use two or more chairs or other supports to prop up the Tio during this event.
Oncle Buscall, a Woodsman Who Collects Tio de Nadals
Some families set up additional Tio de Nadals at the homes of relatives, such as grandparents, uncles, etc., allowing children to make more than one Tio defecate. When the children can’t make them all poop, a similar event takes place on the morning of Epiphany on any of the subsequent days (usually taking advantage of family gatherings like St. Stephen’s Day or the following days), and the kids find the gifts that the Tio “produced” on the 24th or 25th.
In some places, there is a communal Tio de Nadal, and all the children in the village gather to hit it and receive gifts. Some Catalan communities celebrate Christmas with a figure known as “Oncle Buscall,” a woodsman who, together with his cousins, ushers in the coming of the Tio. For the children’s defecation, Oncle Buscall collects the Tios from the trees where they sleep and brings them to the kids for them to make it defecate.