The shepherd, the lamb, the donkey… and the caganer! This little-known santon, which represents a small character busy… defecating, is an emblem of Catalan Christmas. In Catalonia, in Perpignan as in Barcelona, but also in Valencia or the Balearic Islands, we always leave a small place, in the nursery, for these men in ceramic, plaster, clay or resin. It works “tremendously”, assures 20 minutes Muriel Taurinyà, the co-manager of the Catalan products store Visca, in Perpignan. It has even become the “little last minute gift” par excellence, in the Catalan capital. “We order more than 300 each year, and they all go away! », rejoices the shopkeeper.
But why do the Catalans cherish this worthless santon so much, who pops under the tree? If the origins of this character have been somewhat lost, we find traces of him from the 16th century, according to Jordi Arruga and Josep Mañà, the authors ofEl caganer, and specialists in popular history. And, according to legend, he doesn’t shit for plums. First of all, it’s a question of spoofing the Nativity a little, and shaking up its classicism, with a touch of humor. But above all, the caganer would bring luck to the family who places it under the tree: by fertilizing the earth with its holy turd, it would ensure peace, health and abundance in the home for the following year. According to tradition, each day of Advent, parents hide the caganer in various places in the nursery, and the children must find it. Thus, the little character spreads his seed throughout the holy land, ensuring a bright future.
Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen, Joe Biden and Lady Gaga
Moreover, the original caganer, the one who started it all, represented a peasant, decked out in a barretina, the traditional red and black headgear of the Catalans. But today, the “chieur” (that’s how we can translate “caganer” in French) has taken on a thousand and one other faces. In Perpignan, Barcelona or Valencia, they sell caganers with the likeness of women and politicians, or stars of song, cinema or football. Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and even Prince Charles have their little pooping avatars. Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Shakira, Madonna, Elton John and Rosalia, too. Even Dr. Strange, Harry Potter, Baby Yoda, ET, Gollum, and R2D2 (well, he’s crazy). Enough to build a nice collection, much funnier than Funko Pops.
If at the Visca boutique, in Perpignan, the best-selling caganers “remain the traditional ones”, in particular the peasant with the red and black cap, some have been snapped up like hot cakes, like Nicolas Sarkozy or François Hollande, a few years ago years. “Hits!” », assures Muriel Taurinyà, the co-manager. On the other hand, Emmanuel Macron’s caganer is not under attack. “It’s not very successful,” continues the shopkeeper. We don’t really recognize him. We stopped taking it. »
“We choose the new characters according to current events”
In this wonderful world of figurines with their butts exposed, it’s Caganer the king. This family business, founded by the Alós-Pla family, has been manufacturing superb caganers since 1992 in its workshop in Torroella de Montgri, near Girona. In this small Catalan factory, we mold, unmold and paint these little statuettes by hand. It was she who popularized these Caganers with familiar faces. Among its latest novelties, Barbie, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, with his beautiful pink Inter Miami jersey.
“We choose the new characters according to current events, in Catalonia, but also abroad, of course,” confides to 20 minutes Barbara Pla, the daughter-in-law of Ana Maria Pla, the ceramist who launched the production of these celebrity figurines around thirty years ago. “Internet users also often ask us to create new personalities on our site. If one of them is popular, we select it! »
In Catalonia, political figures are fighting to have their caganer
No one has ever been angry to see their face on a little character who is cackling. Quite the contrary. In Catalonia, political figures are fighting for the workshop to create a caganer in their image. This is, in the Barcelona region, a real recognition. “Some people tell us, ‘Next year, you’re thinking of me, right!’” smiles Barbara Pla. “And for those who have one, they are very happy! »
Today, at Caganer, there are more than 600 references, with around twenty new products every Christmas. Some are, moreover, real bestsellers, notably political figures and footballers. That of Barack Obama, for example, was one of the biggest successes of the workshop. Because Caganer does not only ship figurines to Catalonia. There is a big demand throughout Europe, but also across the Atlantic, in the United States and Brazil. A little guy pooping, after all, is universal.