Starship Asterisk*

BMAONE23 wrote:It has been exactly 1 year since the Earth came to it's dramatic apocalyptic end on 12-21-12.
Perhaps next year we can have a year without Dire predictions that never come true.

Chris Peterson wrote:
Every moment, you die and are born again. That's the way the Universe works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%C3%B3_de_Nadal wrote:
<<The Tió de Nadal or Caga tió ("the pooping log"), is a character in Catalan mythology relating to a Christmas tradition widespread in Catalonia. Beginning on December 8, one gives the tió a little bit to "eat" every night and usually covers him with a little blanket so that he will not be cold at night. On Christmas day one puts the tió partly into the fireplace and orders it to defecate. To make it defecate one beats the tió with sticks, while singing various songs of Tió de Nadal. The tradition says that before beating the tió all the kids have to leave the room and go to another place of the house to pray asking for the tió to deliver a lot of presents.

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Caga tió song:

• 
  "Caga tió,
  caga torró,
  avellanes i mató,
  si no cagues bé
  et daré un cop de bastó.
  caga tió!"
  
  poop, log,
  poop nougats (turrón),
  hazelnuts and mató cheese,
  if you don't poop well,
  I'll hit you with a stick,
  poop, log!

After hitting it softly with a stick during the song, it is hit harder on the words Caga tió!. Then somebody puts their hand under the blanket and takes a gift. The gift is opened and then the song begins again. The tió does not drop larger objects, as those are considered to be brought by the Three Wise Men. It does leave candies, nuts and torrons. Depending on the part of Catalonia, it may also give out dried figs. When nothing is left to "poop", it drops a salt herring, a head of garlic, an onion, or it "urinates" by leaving a bowl of water. What comes out of the tió is to be shared all by everyone present.>>

geckzilla wrote:Nice! That's a fantastic display of pyrotechnic proficiency.