No Nativity scene is complete without the caganer - a figure caught in the act of taking a dump near the manger. (NSFW tag, ahoy!) The figurine (whose name translates as "the shitter") is an addition to the Nativity tableaus in the Catalonia region of Spain. Some interpret the caganer as a reminder that God can arrive on earth at any moment - and he doesn't care if he catches you with your britches down. [more inside]
posted by The demon that lives in the air on Dec 12, 2011 - 64 comments

Mary, Joseph and the shepherds are all gathered around the baby Jesus in his manger, as loudspeakers emit the occasional animal sound for extra, rustic effect. But this is Catalonia, and no crib is complete without one additional figure. He is known in Catalan as the caganer.

posted by empath on Dec 23, 2010 - 42 comments

Guy Fournier has resigned. I like pooping too, but let's not overdo it.
posted by squidfartz on Sep 28, 2006 - 28 comments

Ballistic Defecation is just what it sounds like. Or is it?
posted by weston on Jun 29, 2005 - 16 comments

Cloaca While it's a shame that contemporary "art" seems to require some form of bodily waste product in order to be considered an act of genius, I have to say that this particular one is fascinating. It eats a meal, digests it, and then ... does the obvious.
posted by oissubke on Nov 19, 2002 - 38 comments

Defecating figurines are part of the holiday fun in Spain's Catalonia region... How was this tradition started?
posted by LinemanBear on Jan 8, 2002 - 14 comments