WEBVTT - Why Is There a Pooping Figurine in Some Nativity Scenes?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey Brainstuff, Lauren

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<v Speaker 1>volebah Here as crappy holiday traditions go, Catalonia may have

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of the world beat. That's because this northeastern

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<v Speaker 1>outpost of Spain has some decidedly bathroom laden Christmas customs

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<v Speaker 1>that leave many unsuspecting visitors scratching their heads, laughing, or both.

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<v Speaker 1>Without further ado, we present you El kaghana, a statue

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<v Speaker 1>of a person pooping placed off in a corner of

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<v Speaker 1>the traditional nativity scene. This isn't some recent cultural development

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<v Speaker 1>that signals the downfall of modern society. Rather, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>tradition that dates back at least two centuries. In Catalan,

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<v Speaker 1>a Romance language from the region of Catalonia, Spain, the

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<v Speaker 1>word kagane translates roughly to crapper, though some sources use

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<v Speaker 1>refer languae whig. The most popular caginet figure depicts a

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<v Speaker 1>male peasant in a red hat, a crouched with his

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<v Speaker 1>buttocks exposed, and an unmistakable little brown pile at his feet.

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<v Speaker 1>At Christmas time. The khagane is sneakily hidden somewhere with

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<v Speaker 1>then a nativity scene. A children make a game of

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<v Speaker 1>trying to spot the figurine as he crouches in the shadows.

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<v Speaker 1>The kaganet is never at the front of the scene,

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<v Speaker 1>because that would be disrespectful. No one really knows what

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<v Speaker 1>gave rise to this long lived tradition. The Nativity scene

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<v Speaker 1>as we know it was developed through a series of

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<v Speaker 1>early Christian stories, including one called the Infancy Gospel of

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<v Speaker 1>Matthew from around the six hundreds, which is probably the

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<v Speaker 1>first to mention animals being present in the stable. The

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<v Speaker 1>practice of recreating the Nativity scene was conceived by Saint Francis,

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<v Speaker 1>the founder of the Franciscan Order, in the early twelve hundreds,

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<v Speaker 1>and was cemented in Catholic devotional culture by the end

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<v Speaker 1>of that century. By the Renaissance, Nativity imagery played large

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<v Speaker 1>in art. But so where does the poop come in?

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<v Speaker 1>Because fecal matter has been used as fertilizer for agriculture

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<v Speaker 1>throughout history, some say that kaggate statues are a fertility

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<v Speaker 1>symbol of sorts. By plopping a pooper in the midst

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<v Speaker 1>of the scene, perhaps farmers hope to find favorable conditions

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<v Speaker 1>for crops and ultimately wind up with greater yields At

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<v Speaker 1>harvest time. But there are a couple other theories in play.

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<v Speaker 1>Because the Christian faith states that Jesus literally became human

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<v Speaker 1>in order to save people from their sins, perhaps the

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<v Speaker 1>kaganey is a reminder of humanity's common bonds. Maybe the

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<v Speaker 1>Kaguday purposefully portrays a rather undignified private moment in conjunction

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<v Speaker 1>with the Nativity scene to reinforce our shared vulnerability in

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<v Speaker 1>the presence of a higher power. No one really knows,

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<v Speaker 1>but one thing is for sure. El Khaghanet is big business.

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<v Speaker 1>The kaganets turned toward fame came in two thousand and three,

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<v Speaker 1>when demand for Cadalan made statues was dropping and cheap

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<v Speaker 1>Chinese imports were cutting into the market. A company called

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<v Speaker 1>appropriately El Kaghanet took note that it was an election

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<v Speaker 1>year and made statuettes bearing politicians likenesses. Rather than take offense,

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<v Speaker 1>those politicians gamely embraced the silly mockery, and consumers loved it.

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<v Speaker 1>The irreverent statues became a huge hit, and now the

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<v Speaker 1>company sells tens of thousands of them every year. Since then,

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<v Speaker 1>the artists who make these figurines have been turning other

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<v Speaker 1>celebrities into pooping icons. Each year, they monitor news headlines

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<v Speaker 1>and pop culture, introducing new faces that they think will

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<v Speaker 1>sell well. The workers carve likeness from plaster and construct

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<v Speaker 1>a mold. From that mold comes hundreds or thousands of

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<v Speaker 1>clay reproductions. Poop and all the little figures are painted

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<v Speaker 1>by artists, which sometimes include disabled people in the local community.

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<v Speaker 1>Their inspirations range from historical figures and popes, to artists

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<v Speaker 1>and athletes, and even fictional characters. As of twenty twenty five,

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<v Speaker 1>think Cleopatra, Chae Guavera, Zaron Mamdani, Darwin Einstein, Lebron James,

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<v Speaker 1>a whole bunch of footballers, George Michael, Madonna, the singer,

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<v Speaker 1>an alien xenomorph ash and Pikachu Yes a lu Boo Boo,

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<v Speaker 1>and even more abstract pieces like a balloon sculptured dog

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<v Speaker 1>squatting over a small balloon. Poop and kaganets aren't the

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<v Speaker 1>only area tradition that involves metaphorical poop. There's also the

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<v Speaker 1>TiO di Nadal or Christmas log, which is a log

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<v Speaker 1>modernly depicted with a smiling face painted on one end.

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<v Speaker 1>Children feed the log with treats during the week's leading

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<v Speaker 1>up to Christmas, and it's kept cozy with the blanket

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<v Speaker 1>or other covering. Parents sneakily switch out the log with

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<v Speaker 1>larger ones to make it seem as though it's getting bigger.

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<v Speaker 1>On the final day, the log takes a pinata form

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<v Speaker 1>and kids beat it with a stick while singing a

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<v Speaker 1>vulgar pooping song until the log poops out. Treats galore

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<v Speaker 1>for the whole family. The lesson here at Christmas time

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<v Speaker 1>in Catalonia. Poop still smells, but it also sells and

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<v Speaker 1>brings people together. Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>There's a Pooping Man in the Kadalan Nativity Scene on

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<v Speaker 1>HowStuffWorks dot Com, written by Nathan Chandler. Brain Stuff is

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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