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Welcome to Spain—the 12th “Country of Christmas”!
In my journey through “The 12 Countries of Christmas,” I couldn’t help but learn about Spain. It’s my host country, and I am always culturally curious about how they celebrate Christmas here!
So, here is what I learned . . . and it wasn’t on the internet! 🙂
Field Trip—Spanish Christmas Discovery
I love going on field trips with my kids. Usually the parents go for “free,” so it’s a fun way to experience something new while spending time with my children, their classmates, and their teachers.
Last week, Pierre had a field trip to the “belen” in town.
When I received the permission slip in his school folder, I wasn’t sure what a “belen” was.
So, what did I do?
I put on my cultural (and language) learning glasses and looked up the word, “belen,” on Google Translate.
Thank heaven for Google Translate when you’re traveling or living in a foreign country! It certainly comes in handy when you haven’t yet mastered the host language.
“Belen” is a “nativity scene.”
Google Translate
Wow! I love nativity scenes, so this field trip was a double delight for me!
I wondered if it was a “live” nativity scene or one that was set up in a local church.
In any case, I was culturally curious and ready to go!
“The World of the Belen“
All of the elementary classes of Pierre’s school, along with teachers and a parent (me!), walked down the hill, along the beautiful little stream in town, until we reached a community building. It wasn’t a church.
We walked in, and we truly entered another world—“The World of the Belen.”
The theme was Egypt, and we entered Egypt when we walked through the door.
This was no small or ordinary nativity scene. It was an entire world that came to life!
Lights, flowing water, bubbling fountains, rowing boats . . .
Although it wasn’t a “live” nativity scene, it felt strangely alive. It was a living structure.
There were hundreds and hundreds of miniature people, animals, objects—all handmade by the people in the little town.
Everything was so beautiful to look at.
An elderly woman approached us, pointing out certain elements of the village.
“Did you see Baby Jesus in Mary’s tummy?” (Baby Jesus couldn’t “appear” or be “present” in the scene before Christmas Eve.)
“Did you find the pyramids?”
“Has anyone noticed the angel on the mountain?”
Spanish Christmas—Magical!
The nativity scene was so intricate, so detailed, so beautiful.
Then, the lights went out. A hush filled the room, as all of the lights from the windows of the village houses, the miniature lanterns, and the stars in the sky lit up the scene. The reflections on the river water were incredible.
“Wow!” everyone exclaimed. It was truly magical.
“Everything in the entire room is handmade by the villagers,” the woman explained to a few of us who asked her some questions. “Even the walls with the Egyptian drawings and hieroglyphics.”
There was great pride in her voice and body language as she went on to tell us that they make a different belen every year.
“It must take you all year to make this!” I exclaimed.
She went on to tell us that the town had given them a warehouse to store the fragile, handmade items. Sometimes, they are able to reuse some of the objects (houses, animals, etc.). However, because they choose a different theme every year, most of the objects are made specifically for that year’s scene.
“It’s a lot, a lot of work!” another lady explained.
Although we only spent 30-45 minutes in the building, I could have stayed for hours. My eyes couldn’t get enough! I wanted to look at every village scene—every little piece of clothing, every facial expression, every animal.
Are You Serious?
As we were walking out of the building, I overheard two teachers talking.
“Did you find the man pooping?” one of them asked.
“No, I’ve been looking for him and can’t find him,” the other teacher replied.
“Are you serious? Is that really true?” I asked them. “I read about that when I was doing some research on interesting Christmas traditions around the world.”
Here’s what I had read . . .
“A Christmas tradition in parts of Spain, Portugal, and Italy is to set up a model village of Bethlehem. Along with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus is a Caganer who is placed in the scene. The Caganer is a figurine, traditionally a man, in the act of defecating, pants around his knees, bending over with pile of feces at his heels.”
Marie Leslie
It Must be a Joke!
When I first read this cultural tidbit about Spanish Christmas traditions, I thought it was a joke. It seemed so strange to have this type of figurine in the holy scene of the nativity and the birth of Jesus.
I didn’t think much of it again until I overheard this conversation between the teachers.
“It’s true,” one of them said. “Every belen has one. It has something to do with showing the humanity within the holy scene of the nativity.”
Unfortunately, the kids and the other teachers were already well on their way out the door. We didn’t have time to ask the elderly woman who had made the scene where the Caganer was located among the thousands of intricate objects. We didn’t have the opportunity to ask her why a man pooping would be placed in this beautiful, holy nativity scene.
The village is only 10 minutes away from our house, and the
We also have more
What a feast for the eyes and the heart!
I do hope that there’s not a “live” Caganer at the “live” belen that we are going to next week! Ha! Ha!
Spanish Christmas—Other Interesting Symbols
Here’s another interesting Spanish Christmas tradition . . . also on the “pooping” theme.
Caga Tió, roughly translated as “pooping firewood,” is a Christmas tradition from Spain’s Catalonia region.
“A smiling face, red nose, and legs are stuck on a log filled with candy. During Advent, children pretend to feed the log, cover it with a blanket when they think it’s cold, and take care of it like a pet.
Then, on Christmas Eve, they beat it to a pulp and eat the candy that it excretes.”
Mashable
The End of Our “Around the World” Christmas
Well, it’s time to end this year’s journey to “The 12 Countries of Christmas.” It has been wild and so much fun! I have learned so much along the way, and I hope you have too.
Next year, I’ll have to choose 12 different countries for our Christmas adventure. There are 195 countries in the world, so there’s a lot more
Merry Christmas, Spain!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
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What about you? What are some interesting Christmas traditions in your family or culture, or in other countries you have visited?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
