New Photo Links

*Thanksgiving dinner photos

*Around the Town photos

*Ciutadella and Porto Olimpico photos

*Cavalcada de Nadal photos (christmas parade)

*Palau de la Musica Catalana photos
pretty much all purse-snuck..no photos allowed!

*Sagrada familia photos

*Navidad things photos


Funny Christmas Traditions:
Cagatio:
Explained, From a website:
"Spaniards don’t typically give gifts on Christmas day, that is reserved for the Three Kings Day (Los Reyes Magicos) on January 5th. Instead Catalans have a very strange tradition called the CagaTio. Literally meaning (politely written) pooplog, the cagatio is a log that is dressed up to look like Santa Clause, with a face drawn on it and everything. Before christmas you are supposed to feed the log Turron (chocolate nougat) and place a blanket over its backside. On christmas day all the children gather around the log and take turns beating it with a stick while singing a song. It goes something like… Cagatio, tio de nadal, no cagas arangadas, que son saladas, caga turrons, que son mes bones… (pooplog pooplog, pooplog of christmas, dont poop dried sardines, they taste really bad, poop out turrons, which we like much better). After everyone has had turns beating the log, the blanket is removed from the backside of the cagatio and small presents are revealed. Its supposed to be magic for the little kids. Isnt that the wierdest tradition you have ever heard?!"


Caganer:
The caganer- In Catalonia, as well as in the rest of Spain and in most of Italy and Southern France, the traditional Christmas decoration is a large model of the city of Bethlehem, similar to the Nativity of the English-speaking world, but encompassing the entire city rather than just the typical manger scene. The Catalans have added an extra character that is not found in the manger scenes of any other culture. In addition to Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the Shepherds and company, Catalans have the character known as the Caganer. This extra little character is often tucked away in some corner of the model, typically nowhere near the manger scene, where he is not easily noticed. There is a good reason for his obscure position in the display, for "caganer" translates from Catalan to English as "pooper", and that is exactly what this little statue is doing — defecating.