Comments on: Caga Tió, please don’t poo sardines this Christmas

By: Hinterlader

Hinterlader — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:28:08 +0000

It’s a play on words – anyone from Catalonia speaks Spanish, tio is a homophone meaning uncle in Spanish and log in Catalan. So it’s either pooping log or pooping uncle, or more to the point, both.

By: Christian Sànchez

Christian Sànchez — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:53:41 +0000

Hi there!!! I’m absolutely thrilled with Caga Tió at Milkwood!! Wowwww catalan culture crossing borders (yay for Gi)! Guys, as many traditions, the exact meaning and origin remains a mistery. Caga Tió is pagan, mixed with christian traditions, caga tió is about honoring the woods, the earth and thanking it for its gifts on the longest night of the year…although we hit it with a stick…

By: milkwoodkirsten

milkwoodkirsten — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:00:24 +0000

Also, when I was last in Barcelona, our hosts told us about the log that they whacked at Christmas time while calling ‘shit, uncle, shit!’ So it’s not just your family, Gigi

By: Gianna

Gianna — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 07:28:03 +0000

Hi tippiwitch! I am the Catalan on farm. You are right in that uncle in Catalan is “oncle” and that “tío” in Spanish is uncle, and that “tió” in Catalan means big log… The fact that some of us (at least my family) call uncle to Caga Tió has nothing to do, though, with the Spanish word “tío”.

I have to admit, that I was actually thrived to see how Kirsten had researched and written Caga Tió using the correct accentuation. Thanks Kirsten, that honors our language very much!!!!

Happy new year to everyone and many more to come for our curious and fabulous tradition of celebrating Christmas with Caga Tió!!!!

By: milkwoodkirsten

milkwoodkirsten — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 20:41:20 +0000

Er yes it translates literally to ‘shit log’ but all the Catalans I know translate it as ‘shit uncle’… So take your pick? Cheers.

By: tippitiwitch

tippitiwitch — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 06:00:13 +0000

Not wanting to sound pedantic I insist tió does not mean uncle in Catalan, unless your uncle is a log; I do not speak Catalan but I believe the word for uncle in that language is oncle. As I wrote before tío is the Spanish word for uncle; tió in Catalan means a log.

By: milkwoodkirsten

milkwoodkirsten — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 03:16:22 +0000

Erm, well that’s how our resident Catalan spells it – it translates from Catalan as ‘shit uncle’

By: tippitiwitch

tippitiwitch — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 02:08:27 +0000

Don’t know what the name Caga Tió means, now I read that’s meant to be Catalan except that Caga Tío, yes, TÍO not Tió; is a Spanish not a Catalan expression.

By: Zucchini Flowers and general whackery « Milkwood: permaculture farming and living

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:46:31 +0000

[...] Once lunch was done it was time for Caga Tió! And so the Catalan ‘uncle’ was duly tapped with sticks until he poo-ed out gifts of nougat, and not salty fish. Have I lost you yet? The backstory on Caga Tió is here… [...]

By: mcmueller (@mcmueller)

mcmueller (@mcmueller) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 22:32:00 +0000

Small correction, the queen does not have a bum!