1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:11,719 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Boglebam. Here as crappy holiday traditions go, 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: the Catalonians may have the rest of the world beat. 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: That's because this northeastern outpost of Spain has some bathroom 5 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: adjacent Christmas customs that may leave unsuspecting visitors scratching their heads, laughing, 6 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: or both. Without further ado, we present to you the cagonet, 7 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: a statue of a person pooping off in a corner 8 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: of a traditional nativity scene. This is not some recent 9 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: cultural development that signals the downfall of modern society. Rather, 10 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: it's a tradition that dates back at least two centuries. 11 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 1: In Catalan Romance language from the region of Catalonia, Spain, 12 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: the word caganet translates roughly to crapper, although some sources 13 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: use rougher language. The most popular cagonet features a male 14 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: peasant and a at hat crouched with his buttocks exposed 15 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: and an unmistakable little brown pile at his feet. At 16 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: Christmas time. The caganet is sneakily hidden somewhere within an 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: activity scene. A children make a game of trying to 18 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: spot the pooping figure. As he crouches in the shadows, 19 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: and the caganet is never at the front of the 20 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: scene because that would be disrespectful. No one really knows 21 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: what gave rise to this long lived tradition. Because fecal 22 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: matter has been used as a fertilizer for agriculture throughout history, 23 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: some say the statues are a fertility symbol of sorts. 24 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: By plopping a pooper in the midst of the scene, 25 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: perhaps farmers will gain favor with Heaven, find favorable conditions 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: for crops, and ultimately wind up with greater yields at 27 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: harvest time. But there are a couple of other theories 28 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: in play. Because the Christian faith states that Jesus literally 29 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: became human in order to save followers from their sins, 30 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: perhaps the pooping statue is a reminder of humanity's common bonds. Furthermore, 31 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: maybe the caganet purposefully portrays a rather undignified private moment 32 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: in conjunction with a Nativity scene to reinforce our shared 33 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,079 Speaker 1: vulnerability in the presence of a higher power. No one 34 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: really knows, but one thing is for sure. Caganets are 35 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: a big business. The caganets turned towards fame, came into 36 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 1: thousand three, when demand for Catalonian made statues was dropping 37 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: and cheap Chinese imports were cutting into the market. The 38 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: company Elkganet took note that it was an election year 39 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: and made caganets with politicians likenesses. Rather than take offense, 40 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,919 Speaker 1: these politicians gamely embraced the silly mockery and consumers loved it. 41 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: The irreverent caganets became a huge hit, and now the 42 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: company sells tens of thousands of the items every year. 43 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: Since then, the artists who make these figurines have been 44 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: turning famous people like politicians and celebrities into pooping figures. 45 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: Each year. They monitor news headlines and pop culture, introducing 46 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: new faces that they think will sell well at has 47 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: included Donald Trump, Shakespeare, Spock, Tiger Woods, Boris Johnson, George Michael, 48 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: the Pope, Madonna, and a whole lot more. Then, the 49 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: workers carve a likeness from plaster and construct a mold. 50 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: From that mold could come hundreds or even thousands of 51 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: clay reproductions poop and all the little figures are painted 52 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: by artists, which sometimes includes disabled people from local communities. 53 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: The lesson at Christmas time in Catalonia whoop smells, but 54 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: it also sells. Caganets aren't the only poopy caddle. On tradition, 55 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: children also feed a teo, Dana Doll or Christmas log 56 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: with treats. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, parents 57 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: sneakily switch out the logs to make it seem as 58 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: though it's getting bigger. On the final day, the log 59 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: takes a pinata form and kids hit it with a 60 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: stick while singing a somewhat vulgar pooping song until the 61 00:03:52,200 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: log whoops out treats galore. Today's SOD was written by 62 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: Nathan Chandler and produced by Tyler Clang. For more in 63 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: this and lots of other topics, visit how stuff works 64 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is a production of I Heart Radio. 65 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: Or more podcasts in my heart Radio, visit the I 66 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 67 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.