Google Search: el caganer,

Però, quin és el significat de la figura del caganer? Per que va ser introduït en el pessebre i què simbolitza? Encara que l’interrogant resti obert i per resoldre, oferim tot seguit algunes interpretacions i consideracions que ha suscitat aquest controvertit personatge.
from -- Pagina nueva 1
Pagina nueva 1

The Nativity scene, an artificial representation of the mystery of Christmas, originally could only be found in churches and convents – following the example of Saint Francis of Asisi, who constructed a living crèche on Christmas night in the year 1223. Little by little, idea took shape in private homes. The aristocratic homes of the 18th century were the first to erect monumental crèches, visited by many local people. Later the custom extended to the villages, and its enormous popularity endured so that, even today, it remainsone of the most vibrant elements in our popular art.
The washerwoman, the shepherd boy, the woman feeding chickens, the Magi, the caganer and other figures, along with an assortment of fowl, cork houses and silver-paper rivers, placed on bits of moss and cork in a corner of the dining room, give the illusion of a happy world and add a bit of nature to our homes.
Google Search: el caganer,

cubaencuentro.com/Desde :: Barcelona: Escatología

BBC - Languages French - Christmas Customs

BBC - Languages Spanish - Christmas Customs: "Quirky customs - Curiosidades
Celebrations stretch from December 22nd, when the big lottery draw takes place, to January 6th, when the presents are unwrapped. Then, between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, there's still time to fit in another celebration. The equivalent of April's Fools Day takes place in Spain on December 28th, el d�a de los Santos Inocentes, Holy Innocents' day.

Nativity scenes with figurines are laid out on a table at home, with no limit to their degree of elaboration. Life-size figures are also on display in public squares and there'll also be silent living representations in public halls, which are open throughout the day and that people visit to witness the birth of baby Jesus.

But in Catalu�a there's a surprising addition to the crib: el caganer, which means, for want of a more offensive translation, the defecating shepherd. What's more, this scatological streak extends to a peculiarly-shaped local cake, la tifa, with sugar flies to top it all off. "

Atheists make a counter attack

This blog was my dream of restablishing myself as a reviewer
but somewhat neglected.

I visited the the Danish bookfair at the FORUM hall in Frederiksberg in
November 2004 and got offered a free month's subscription with
Kristeligt Dagblad
I have moved away from personal faith in christianity from about the end of
1956 because I was no longer at Loughborough College and being supported by
the Student Christian movement.

I believe in people in a sort of naive humanism keeping many christian
values.

the Friday headline in front of me ATEISTER RUSTER SIG TIL MODANGREB
turns out to be about the separation of church and state which in Sweden has
led to a loss of about 50 000 members a year.

The Human-Etisk Forbund of Scandinavia now has 64 000 members.

The newspaper is full of news about priests, and the bell ringer who may go
deaf if the bells do not break lose from their rotten beams, fall and kill
him first, one for the danish people who check on safety at work and try to
reduce injuries and deaths caused by by industrial accidents.

All in all a charming newspaper telling much about the community life in
Denmark, but their picture editor seems to choose scowling photographs of
Imans to contrast with happy smiling christians