Dolly went in search of a caganer.

 I was having a chat with Dolly and explained that I had become rather fascinated with the idea of a Caganer, what the origins were and why on earth would it have become a tradition. It just all seemed a little bazaar to me. Looking on line it appears that the origins have been a little lost. As far as I can find out it all started around the 17th or 18th century, in Catalonia and then spread through Spain, Italy, France and Portugal...in no particular order that I could find. It appears that it was thought to be symbolic of fertilising the for good luck.  Sergi Alos, a caganer maker in Barcelona explained that Caganers are now made using the images of celebrities, foot ballers and even royalty. Apparently this is an honour and not an insult to the person. He also explained when interviewed by the BBC that he has actually been thanked. Not sure that I'd like an image of myself, squatting with my knickers down.

Nevertheless when I found out that town of Paderne had a Presepio, (model village of Bethlehem) I just had to have a look to check if they had included a caganer. It seemed unlikely as it was put together by the local scouts, but you never know.  When I arrived I was taken aback at the detail. It  was beautiful, the moss was live and kept moist by a water system, which also included a flowing river, so cleverly thought out... I have to say, far superior to the Presepio I'd seen in Ferragudo and not a Caganer in sight .

We've decided that we like the Presepio and Nativity without a caganer present. However if any of you have seen one or know more about them please feel free to share that information...It's good to share.
My friend pointed out that the baby Jesus was missing from the crib and feared it might have been stolen. As you may remember from my previous post, baby Jesus often doesn't get added until after midnight mass.