St. Jordi's Day: The Day of Lovers

Football, Easter, St. Jordi's Day - oh my! 

Not only are we in the middle of an unprecedented four-time Barca-Real Madrid schedule, but all the important Springtime holidays celebrated in Catalonia fell last weekend. 

St. Jordi's Day is the Catalan Valentine's Day when men give roses their novias and women return the gesture by gifting books to their novios. It's also an important day for Catalan independence.

Roadside rose-sellers pop up in all the towns:

And outdoor bookshops are on every corner:

Legend has it that a terrible dragon was wrecking havoc on Catalonia and eating up the inhabitants. In order to appease the dragon, the villagers sacrificed one villager per day by drawing lots. On the day that the princess of the town was to be slaughtered, a knight in shining armor, St. Jordi, appeared out of nowhere and stabbed the dragon to death.

Later, a red rose sprung forth from spot where the dragon died, which is why every April 23, men give red roses to their sweethearts (and good friends): 

 And women give books to their men.

Books have nothing to do with the legend, but in 1923, a clever bookseller decided use the day, which also happens to be the day Shakespeare and Cervantes both died, to promote literacy and books.

And the tradition stuck. Ted received an eBook on his Nook but he posed this photo anyway:

Since St. Jordi is the patron saint of Catalonia, the fight for Catalan independence is also recognized. Our friend Nuria's Mom made a Catalan-flag inspired dessert:

Holidays, traditions, celebrations - oh my!
More on Semana Santa, Easter, our adventures in the Catalan highlands, and FC Barca coming soon...

Caganer: Another Catalan Christmas Tradition

In case my post about Caga Tio did not take the edge off your appetite for toilet-inspired Christmas traditions, the Catalans have another that's sure to please.

Allow Ted to introduce, the caganer.

This little figurine goes somewhere inside the traditional nativity scene, you know, the wooden box with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. Depending on how much you want to snub the Catholic Church, depends on how close to or how far away from the newborn you place your caganer.

Is this for real?

Yes. 

Even restaurants place poopers, like this one, near the cash register:

And the government proudly displays it's enthusiasm for the pooping man of Christmas by illuminating him on their official building:

Poopers come in all shapes and sizes. I'm tempted to buy them all - shitting Spidy, deuce-dropping doctor, "majon" (huge turd) Messi - and you can too, for about 15 Euros. Here's a site with a shit storm of carganers.

Every year, there's a contest to see which public figure's shit stinks the least. Last year, Barack Obama's bare pootin' booty won by a landslide.  But this year, he's got competition from the Queen of England, who by the way, is missing her porcelain thrown. Hillary Clinton, Tiger Woods, Fidel Castro and Lewis Hamilton are also contenders in this year's Contest of Force.

So what's the scoop behind all the poop, you may wonder?

 I wonder too, but my Catalan friends all say more or less the same thing: "!Es normal!"

Internet research has provided the following three theories:

1.  Someone pooping near the Baby Jesus makes the miracle more natural.

2.  Feces fertilizes the soil and brings new life to the crops.

3.  Someone in the 1800s was playing a practical joke, it caught on, and the Catalans will never let it drop.

This year, we will surely miss the smell of pine trees, my grandma's hand-made stockings, Baba's hot cross buns, Big Daddy's colored lights, caroling, Owen's frosted cookies, Branamas and of course, our friends and families - but this Christmas promises to be like none ever before (insert fart noise here).

!Viva Caga Tio y Caganer!

Caga Tio: A Catalan Christmas Tradition

Before moving to Barcelona, we'd heard more than once that the Catalonian's are a very scatological people. And we though, "Sure, who doesn't think poop is funny?" But the fascination / affirmation of feces goes well beyond fart jokes.

Imagine this scene, if you will:

We're at the Balcon.  It's mid-November and the subject of Christmas comes up.

"How does your family celebrate Christmas in the States," Pedro asks us in Spanish.

"We decorate a tree, wait for Santa, maybe go to church, the usual. What do you do in Catalonia?" we reply.

"We have a log we wrap in a blanket to keep warm, feed him oranges, and then he shits out presents for the kids.  He's called the "Shitting Uncle". Oh yeah, and you have to bang on his back to get him to shit. It's super fun," Pedro says with a straight face.

What?!  This is hilarious, but we can't laugh because Pedro isn't joking.  There must be something lost in translation, we think, so we just leave it at that.  But, it happens again. The same conversation with other Catalan friends.

"Caga Tio" or "Shitting Uncle" is the Catalan version of Santa Claus, the big ole fat, bearded man who slips down your chimney while you are sleeping.  Both I guess, are pretty bizarre.

The story of Caga Tio goes more or less like Pedro explained:

In early December, families head to the woods in search of the perfect, round log.  Once it's spotted, it must be quickly wrapped in a blanket, for it ceases to be just a normal log, it is now the magical Caga Tio.

At home, the kids dutifully feed their hungry log everyday for it will never poop out sweet treats if it does not get plenty of fiber.  Oranges are his favorite, but with a varried diet - nuts, berries and chocolate - there promises to be a wider array of gifts when he goes about business.

Finally, it's Christmas Eve.  The children gather around the log to begin hitting Caga Tio with a stick.  First, they hit lightly, but then swift and hard as they sing enthusiastically, 

"Caga Tio, Tio de Nadal

No caguis arengades,

que son massa salades

caga torrons

que son mes bons!

Caga Tio!

Or roughly translated,

"Shitting Log, Shitting log of Christmas!

Don't poop herrings,

for they are too salty,

Poop turrons (a sweet candy)

which are much better!

Poop, Man!

Poop!

Spoiler alert: While the kids are singing (or praying at the window for Caga Tio to poop), grandma lifts up the log's blanket and puts gifts underneath. The children return for another rousing round of singing and log beating.  Then lo and behold, a miracle occurs! With a majestic bowel movement, the Pooping Uncle has turned those oranges and nuts into wonderful Christmas goodies!

We shit you not, nothing says Christmas like "pooping" in Catalonia.

But wait!
There's more scatalogical fun to be had.  Come back soon for the story of the "Carganet."

The Alhambra

Visiting the Alhambra was incredible.
Visiting the Alhambra with two architects, well that was over the top.
Had Bethany and Ed had not accompanied us, I would have left thinking - "Wow, what a delightful palace."
Instead, post-visitation we debriefed over a delicious Spanish meal the elements of excellent design, the features of Moorish architecture, the meaning of beauty, the definition of art... and yes, the fine Rioja wine we were drinking.

I was so excited to learn about the "red fortress" through the eyes an architect, I actually took notes. So, in case you too are interested in a brief overview of the palace, a timeline of Andulusia's history and Bethany's definition of beauty, then by all means, read on...

The first thing to understand is from the Roman architect Vitruvius, author of the earliest definitive theory of architecture, who said all structures should contain three components:

Durability - can it stand up robustly and remain in good condition?
Utility - is it be useful for the people using it?
Beauty - does it delight and raise the spirits?

Check, check and check. 

The Alhambra has it all.  Bethany cried upon entering the palace because she says it's the perfect design that all architects try to replicate.

It's impossible to say if the Moorsish architects of the Nasrid Dynasty had access to Vitruvius's treatise...

Wait, maybe you're wondering, "What is the Alhambra, anyway?"

In the 1200s, a fortress was built on a hill above the current town of Granada to protect the region from warring sects of the fading Muslim Empire, which occupied much of Spain (then, Andalus). As Christians established political control over the region, noble families of Muslim origin created beautiful palaces inside the walls of the former fortress (1200-1450 AD).

An interesting point here is that Muslims had a very different outlook on life than the Christians, who built rectangular, austere churches during same period. The Islamic philosophy (and I'm extrapolating) was that since Paradise is described in detail within the Koran and Allah is pleased when people are happy, good Muslims should attempt to recreate Paradise here on earth.

And so they did. Check out that detail on the walls and ceiling. 

The design of the Alhambra is surely beautiful on a small scale. Intricate wood, tile and stone work adorn almost every surface, but those fine details become part of a larger whole of repeating patterns without becoming distracting. In fact, it is breathtaking.

From every corner of the Alhambra, there is a new, alluring view. The architects, unconcerned with the bird's eye or plan view of the building, focused on how people experience space while moving through their environment.

And here is where the fine wine came in and Bethany explained her concept of beauty:

Beauty comes from two things: repetition and the path the eye travels as it looks at something. If the eye can't move easily to the next point of focus, then instinctively it doesn't like it. When the eye finds a smooth path to visually explore an object, then the thing becomes beautiful.  Repetition is also important, because it's reminds us of the rhythm of life, the beating of a heart, and makes us feel whole and connected with nature.

Another important point to appreciate is that "water is the soul of the Alhambra," and I should credit our tour guide who provided us with these interesting details:

The abundance of fountains, pools, and open channels passing between and through the interior spaces shows that water was central to the inhabitants of the Alhambra. Water was considered a gift from Allah which was to be enjoyed, but also returned to the same source from which it came. This understanding made it possible to maintain a clean water source that flowed continuously from it's source in the mountains, through house and after house, and eventually back to the river below.

The open channels running through the palaces not only provided drinking and bathing water, they also cooled and raised the humidity of the shaded courtyards, providing much needed relief in the hot, dry summers of Granada. The channels and pools also reflected light from the sun, illuminating adjacent rooms and creating meditative, dancing patterns on the walls and ceilings.  

Unfortunately, much of the original Alhambra was destroyed beginning around 1492, when the Christians decided to kick out all non-believers and even those who had converted. For the next several hundred years, the Alhambra was left to decay.

Then around 1800, the Alhambra was "rediscovered" by an American traveler Washington Irving who wrote a romantic story entitled "The Tales of the Alhambra." The Spanish monarchy began to take an interest in the site, as did the artists...

Henry Matisse visited the Alhambra in 1910, called it "marvelous" and said he felt "great emotion" while being there.

M.C. Escher, inspired by the ceramic tiling when he visited in 1922, later said these patterns evoked living creatures which continued to intrigue him throughout his life.

But again during in the 1930's, the Alhambra was yet again abandoned, this time as a result of Franco's fascist regime that wanted nothing to do with acknowledging Muslim influences on Spanish culture.

Since the 1990s the Spanish government has taken a more active role in restoring and preserving the Alhambra. Yet our tour guide estimates that over 40% of the Alhambra has not been excavated.

Who knows what secrets will be found? Until now, the story of the Alhambra is written solely by the "winners",  the Northern Europeans Christians who conquered Andalusia. It is clear that there is an entirely different account of this history and much about Muslim culture in Spain that remains to be discovered.

Weekend Get-Away: Tarragona

Two years ago, we got hitched at the Marin Headlands!

Two years later, we ventured south to Tarragona, a quaint coastal town, to celebrate the occasion.  

In Terragona, there are incredible Roman ruins. This amphitheatre by the sea dates from the 2nd century AD.  

Gladiators and wild animals fought here in front of 14,000 spectators (a precursor to the Spanish bullfight). Executions were also held here, thus the entrance sign reads, "Many innocent lives were taken in this amphitheatre." A few centuries later, the brilliant Christians decided to build a church on top.  

While the weekend in Tarragona was fantastic and relaxing, we couldn't help but think of California...

In Ukiah, Rowan Surya and Flora Chandra entered the world to proud parents, Will and Hannah.  The babies are "magical" says Grandpa Marty. 

And in Walnut Creek, our fellow Humboldt-Houston buddies, Aren and Sharon, were married (finally!)

Congratulations to everyone!  And send us photos asap!