Tió

It all begins around the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. A log has to be found in the woods, although in some homes it mysteriously appears in the living room or is picked up at a Christmas market. Once chosen, it’s placed in the warmest corner of the house. The Tió is not meant to be cold. If needed, it is covered with a blanket, and kept warm so it does its job properly on Christmas Day.

From then on, it is fed every evening: fruit, biscuits, eggs, whatever is on hand, as if it were one more member of the family. And it never leaves anything behind. The aim is to “fatten it up” as much as possible.

On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day comes the moment everyone is waiting for: the children make the Tió “poop” its gifts. They are handed sticks and take turns hitting the log while singing a traditional song. Once that is done, they are sent out of the room, usually to sing or say a prayer, while the Tió does its business. When they are called back in, the blanket is lifted, revealing the surprises underneath. The ritual is repeated until the Tió signals it has had enough, usually ending with something less welcome, like coal, a herring or an egg.

Hitting the Tió with a stick is without doubt one of the key moments of the ritual. It mixes controlled rough play with one of its most traditional elements: the Tió song.

Passed down orally for centuries, there are as many versions as there are dialects of Catalan, and just as many as there are towns, villages and even families. Every home has its own slightly different version.

In Barcelona, the most common version goes like this:

“Caga tió
ametlles, avellanes i torró
no caguis arengades
que són massa salades
caga torrons
que són més bons
Caga tió
ametlles i torró
si no vols cagar
et daré cop de bastó
Caga tió!”

“Poop, log
almonds, hazelnuts and nougat
don’t poop us sardines
they’re far too salty
poop us nougat instead
that’s much nicer
Poop, log
almonds and nougat
and if you don’t want to poop
I’ll give you a whack with a stick
Poop, log!”