The ‘caganer’ travels the world

The ‘caganer’ (literally, the ‘crapper’ or the ‘shitter’) is one of the characters of the nativity scene set up traditionally in catalan homes during the Christmas period with figurines. The ‘caganer’ is a shepherd who hides behind a tree and simply does his needs. The last years, maybe thanks to the influence of the sovereigntist process, it seems that particularly the figure of the crapper has caught the attention of the world’s written press, as for example, The Independent or The Telegraph.

Still in Great Britain, the International Business Times has published a selection of photographs with the most curious and eye-catching ‘caganer’ figurines, such as those of the politicians Artur Mas and Mariano Rajoy, the architect Antoni Gaudí, the Spanish royal family, the singers Freddie Mercury and Madonna…

Five years ago the ‘caganer’ and the ‘tió’ (log or tree trunk) were the main characters of a BBC contest presented by the well-known actor Stephen Fry.

You can buy your own ‘caganer’ in different formats here.

Learn more about the ‘caganer’

Although it is a figure that has proved a big hit here, it is not exclusive to Catalonia. You can find caganers in Murcia, Portugal, Naples and so on, where they are known as cagones, cagoes and cacone or pastore che caca (the crapping shepherd).

Traditionally the caganer is a figure wearing a barretina who is crouching down, smoking a pipe or a cigar and, sometimes, reading a newspaper. Occasionally there is a piglet curiously sniffing around behind him.

For some years now various figure-makers have been making caganers that look like famous people. These include footballers, politicians, the Pope, actors and singers. Each year the new figures are eagerly awaited and usually draw a lot of media attention.

Everything points to this figure being introduced into the nativity scenes at the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th centuries. But it was not new by any means: it had already appeared on ceramic tiles showing different trades.

Caganers have now become collectors’ items. No other figure in the nativity scene has aroused such interest. There is even an association, the Amics del Caganer, that popularises and does research on this amusing figure, organising exhibitions, producing various publications, and so on.

There is still a lot of debate about the meaning of the caganer in the nativity scene. And, as yet, it is a question without an answer.