The activities organised in the city of Girona in these days are numerous and various. Singing Christmas carols in the street, expositions of cribs, the Christmas fair (a fair selling all kinds of products related to Christmas and handicrafts), “Quines” (like a bingo where is raffled market products)…
The activities organised for the children are also numerous activities: a contest of lanterns for waiting the Three Kings, “caga tió”, sport games, cookery workshop, an ice skating-rink and the “Pastrorets” (a play in the theatre representing the Nativity where the main characters are funny shepherds).
“Cagatió”
On Christmas Eve, the tradition in Catalonia is “fer cagar el tió”. The “tió” is a stump or a log that children of every house have been taking care of it during the days before Christmas. They have kept it warn with a blanket and fed it. If they behave correctly, the “tió” will eat all the food they have left underneath. After the supper on Christmas Eve, children go to their rooms to pray a little, then the take a stick and beat the “tió” while singing a song. This song can vary according to the city or the village. After that children take off the blanket and look for the presents that have brought or “cagat” the “tió”. The presents of the “tió” used to be the typical Christmas sweets.
The “Pastorets”
The “Pastrorets” is a typical representation of the Nativity in Catalonia. In Girona, since 1981 the Proscenium Group directed by Joan Ribas, funny devils, angels and shepherds have represented the mysteries of the Nativity.
