“Fer cagar el tió” is centuries-old tradition that has its origin in the days where most of the people in Catalonia lived in farms and small villages and had fireplaces in their houses. From 8th December onwards, little children gave food (fruit peels, etc) to he “tió” (a wooden log) and covered him with a blanket to keep him warm. Then, on 25th December, little children made him “shit”. Traditionally, it had to be burning when this was done, but as nowadays most people haven’t got fireplaces at their homes, that’s not the case anymore. In order for him to shit, small children had to sing a song or pray, and at the same time hit him with a stick. Again, traditionally the tíó didn’t shit big presents, as those were reserved for the Three Wisemen, but sweets or simple small toys.
It’s also possible that children have to “feed” different “tions” that “live” at their relatives’ (uncles, aunts, grandparents…) homes, and when Christmas day arrives they make the round getting different presents. Also, in some small towns there is a “tió del poble”, where all the children in town get together to make him “shit”. And in most of schools in Catalonia, they also prepare a tió that pre-primary children will have to feed during many days and then make him shit on the last day of school.
The “tió” may seem a strange tradition to people outside of Catalonia, but it’s an element that makes Christmas here (like the “caganer”) unique among the different Christmas celebrations in Spain.
