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A Caganer is a curious little statue that seems to be unique to the Catalonian region of Spain.

In their Nativity scenes, the Catalonians have added an extra character that is not found in the mangers of any other culture. In addition to Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the Shepherds and company, the Catalonians have the character known as The Caganer. This extra little character is often tucked away in some corner of the scene where he is not easily noticed. There is a good reason for his obscure position in the display, for "caganer" translates from Catalon to English as "defecator", and that is exactly what this little statue is doing - defecating.

The reasons for placing a man who is in the act of excreting solid waste from his posterior in a scene which is widely considered holy are as follows:

1. The Caganer, by creating feces, is fertilizing the Earth. Thus, he is considered a symbol of prosperity and luck for the coming year.

2. It is funny, (to some Catalonians, at least)

The exact origin of The Caganer has been lost to living memory. Apparently no one is sure who exactly was the first person to include a defecating man in the scene of the first Christmas.

The Catalonians have modified this tradition somewhat in modern times. Originally, The Caganer was portrayed as a peasant wearing a black and red hat. However, in recent years, many other types of figures have been substituted for the original character, all of them still relieving themselves, of course. The "stand-in" Caganers have included Nuns, Devils, Celebrities, Historical Figures, and even Spanish Royalty.

• Christmas characters