Tió

El Tio Christmas is a mythological Catalan and Aragonese and tells a Christmas tradition in Catalonia and Aragon. This tradition can also be found in Occitania under the name Yule log and Aragon Tronca the name of Christmas, all former territories of the Crown of Aragon.

On the day of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), it begins to feed every night the Tió (a log), and usually cover a blanket to get cold at night. It feeds until Christmas Eve, and then the tió, beaten with sticks by children, "pooped" gifts for them.

Formerly the Tió put the fire and let him defecate, but now no longer burns, but it only requires a result of repeatedly defecating stick hits him accompanied by a typical song.

The Tió never defecates large objects (these Magi give them away) but cucherías, wafers and nougats for children. According to the region dried figs and defecate when defecating stops (because nothing left) defecates one salted herring, a garlic, an onion or urine on the floor.

The Tió, in principle, there was nothing but a log burning in the home: fire. A trunk which, when burned, was so precious goods such as heat and light and symbolically offered to present the house: sweets, wafers, nougat .. We can still find, especially in the villages, houses in which the guy is a big log that gets to burn in the fire of earth a few days before Christmas.

The guy is a magical trunk one day closer to Christmas Eve, December 24, comes home knocking on the door. Who is in the house opens and must be looked after, cover it with a blanket to get cold and feed until 24 December evening, when he was "the Tió shits".

Traditionally gets the Tió in the kitchen or dining room near the fireplace, if available. Given to eat dry bread, carob, orange or tangerine peel and other fruits.

El Tio is "defecate" according to the custom of each house, Christmas Eve-Traditionally after-midnight mass or Christmas Day. Ask the Tió shit is a ceremony home or small community consisting of one or more singing traditional songs to finish, finally hitting the trunk tightly.

Songs in Catalonia:

"Tió, Tió, that nougat Shits so good. If you have more money defecates. If you do not have enough shit an egg. Shits Tio".

Songs in Aragon:

"Good trunk, good Baron. Good house, good grilled, may God keep peace in the house and everyone in it. Yule log, shit and piss nougat white wine. Salted herring are not shit. Shits nougats, they are good. "