My image of Catalan has changed completely

Expats living here thought it was bad enough enduring the Sinterklaas tradition that includes normal Dutch people putting on blackface to play the Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes) that are the helpers of the big white bishop, Sinterklaas. Many Dutch people defend the whole thing and say it's not politically incorrect, it's tradition!, but in many ways the Zwarte Pieten freak me out. It's all meant more for kids anyway, and considering I'm sick enough of Christmas, I just do my best to ignore Sinterklaas each year.

Yesterday, however, I read about a traditional part of the nativity scenes in the Catalan region of Spain. Apparently, hidden amongst the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all the other people and animals, is a figure called el caganer, which I think can basically be translated to "the pooper". It's usually a peasant man squatted over with his pants down. Yes, in the midst of the nativity scene. You can read about the tradition, how it possibly started, and what it's supposed to mean here. Thank goodness the Dutch aren't so religious anymore because this sounds like something right up their alley.