The characters connected to Christmas are indeed diverse. In this passage, we look at a comforting figure and a truly silly one.
Olentzero
Among the Basque people, who live in parts of Spain and France, there is a different kind of Santa Claus. In behavior, Olentzero and Santa Claus are similar because they both deliver presents to children while they are sleeping. In appearance, though, they bear no resemblance to one another, other than the fact they are both overweight. This figure from Basque folklorehas a beretand looks like an uncle who might be seen drinking a beer or a glass of wine in a pub. *As ordinary as he looks, he is claimed to have a distinctive origin. One of the variations on the Olentzero legend is that he was abandoned in a forest as a baby. A fairy that found him gave him magical powers, later making him immortal.
Tió de Nadal
Another Iberiantradition, this one from the Catalonia region, Tió de Nadal ranks as one of the most bizarre Christmas characters around. The name roughly translates as “Christmas log,” and the custom involves bringing a log into the household on December 8. People paint a face on it and give it two front legs by attaching sticks to it. Then, they wrap it up in a blanket and pretend to feed it. After pretending to feed it for about two weeks, family members take turns hitting it and demanding that it “poopout” small presents and candies. Afterwards, they look under the blanket to scoop up the goodies that *had been previously placed under the log.
