Handsome Catalan man eating a calçot
What are all your Catalan friends doing next Sunday? From November to April, chances are they are meeting for a calçotada, a traditional fiesta consisting mainly of calçots, that is, sweet onions typical from the Valls area (Tarragona).
From Barcelona is a blog run by American writer Jeremy Holland. He lives in Barcelona with his wife and child.
He writes in English about real life issues of the city ranging from culture, people, and languages to other more controversial topics such as nationalism and economy, although, as he says in this post, he wants to write more about positive aspects of Barcelona and less about these complex topics.
Jeremy is a blogger who likes to offer tips on work, life and accomodation. So, the blog can be a useful resource for the traveller but also for people who want to be what he is, an expat enjoying Barcelona.
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My first encounter with the Spanish language was through a study abroad program in college. I spent three months at a foreigner’s school in Guadalajara, Mexico. This was quite brave as French had been my linguistic endeavor in school and I didn’t know a bit of Spanish. Everyone I spoke with had to repeat themselves at least once. It seemed the only word I could correctly use was “que?”
Before I knew it, my three-month exchange program had timed out just as I was getting the hang of the language! Luckily, I was given a second chance to master the Spanish vernacular in Barcelona.
But just because Barcelona is in Spain doesn’t mean everybody speaks Spanish.
When we travel to a city like Barcelona, we want to enjoy as many highlights as possible. That is why we usually go to the same places and follow the same route that someone did before us. We want to see the tourist attractions; we don’t have time to waste. Sometimes, though, the highlight is not finding that particular cathedral but finding yourself by getting lost.
One of my favourite parks in Barcelona is definitely off the beaten track and it’s called Parque del Laberinto de Horta (in Spanish) or Parc del Laberint d’Horta (in Catalan). It’s located in a neighbourhood called Horta. You can get there with the green line, Mundet station.
I remember going there with my cousins when I was small. (more…)
Catalunya is in the north-east part of Spain and has a distinct language, culture and traditions of its own. Whereas in Spain Christmas is celebrated with a big family meal on the evening of 24th December, in Catalunya Christmas is celebrated on the 25th with a big lunch.
Tió the magic log. Credit
But before lunch, generally in the morning, (although some families make it on Christmas eve), we have a particular Catalan tradition, where children and not so children make “cagar el Tió”, which as a literal translation would be to make “the log poop”.
OK forget the translation, better I explain it! So you get a log and children feed it starting a couple of weeks before Christmas (usually Santa Llúcia on the 13th december). During the night parents remove the food and next day the child thinks that the log has eaten it, and it’s good because the more it eats the more presents it will “poop” or give.
On Christmas day, children go to the kitchen and pray, then they get a stick and while singing a song which can change from area to area in the differents parts of Catalonia but all about the “Tió”, they hit the log which is covered with a blanket.
caga tió,
tió de Nadal,
no caguis arengades,
que són massa salades
caga torrons
que són més bons!”
(poop log, christmas log, don’t poop salty sardines; they are too salty. poop nougats, which are nicer!)
“Tio” under his blanket. Credit
When the children finish the song, they remove the blanket and underneath they find the presents! (which while praying in the kitchen the parents have hidden under the log and covered with the blanket) and really, children are so happy they don’t think how come the log “poops” presents.
If the child has been not behaving properly during the last year at some point the “Tió” will give coal, which usually is a candy with the aspect of coal. At my home however, as we were good children (of course!) the coal was put at the last try to indicate that the “Tió” didn’t have anything else to poop.
Unfortunately like other traditions this one was fading with the omnipresent Santa Claus, however, recently it seems it’s beginning to be “trendy” again.
This was a guest post by Meritxell in Catalunya. Thanks Meritxell!
Visit again tomorrow for Christmas in New Zealand, by Marie.
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Barcelona Photoblog does exactly what it says – a new photo of Barcelona (nearly) every day. Through photos of his city, Carlos Lorenzo shows a taste of life in Barcelona. And there were some very tasty looking photos recently – the olives are just for starters.
The first months of the year are calcotada season in Catalonia. These calcots, which are a kind of cross between leek and onion, are eaten grilled as part of a traditional meal called a calcotada.
It’s not all about food – take a look at the Barcelonians for a fascinating close up of the people of Barcelona.
All photos from Barcelona Photoblog (with permission).
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