Brief description of the Caganer and its history in the Catalan culture.

1. El Caganer
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2. WHAT IS “EL CAGANER”
• Clay figure of a man ducking, butt naked, pooping outdoors.
• Traditional version  farmer wearing a “barretina”, shirt, red or black waist
sash and espadrilles.

3. THE ORIGINS OF “EL CAGANER”
 XVI, XVII, XVIII centuries (gremios)  Tile of guilds
 Between XVII & XVIII  christmas nativity
 XIX century  romances (poetry) in catalan & spanish
GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS
 Catalonia (Most popular)
 Valencian Community
 Murcia (cagones)
 Naples (cacone o pastore che caca)
 Portugal (cagões)

4. THE STORY OF “ EL CAGANER”
Many years ago, when the farmers were cultivating the grounds
and “nature called”, they had to poop outdoors. One day they
realized that their poop fertilized the ground and so their crops
turned out to be better.
After that discovery they started making tiny clay figures of them
pooping, and putting them some place hidden in the Christmas
nativity to bring good luck, fertilized grounds and prosperity for
the new year to come.

5. WHAT DOES THE “CAGANER”
REPRESENT?
 Fertility
 Good luck
 Equality
 Prosperity
”El Caganer somos todos” – Mossèn Josep M. Ballarín

6. HOW IT’S MADE

8. THE CURRENT “CAGANER”
Nowadays, “el Caganer” has evolved in such a way that you can not
only find the traditional caganer figure, the farmer, but real people, like
the President, Prince, baseball players and so on.
It’s a collectors piece thus you can buy one all year long, it’s not an
exclusive Christmas thing anymore. It’s usual to see exhibitions, or on
the media, etc.
Amics del Caganer
CHRISTMAS
• We hide the “Caganer” in the Christmas nativity and later on the kids in the
house have to look for it. We change it’s place every day.
• You can find it in the traditional Christmas fairs like the one in front of Sagrada
Familia Cathedral.

10. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?