It can hardly be more Christmas than right now, so it will not be a surprise to anyone if this entry on the blog is influenced by the Yuletide. I don’t really know how to approach my recent reflection because it has not much to do with the religious aspects of the approaching Season – more with aspects related to reminiscences of pagan and folkloric traditions. Hence the use of the old word Yuletide.

Our ways actually crossed two folkloric traditions related to Yuletide: a Catalan of which we learned about as late as last year, and a Nordic one with which we grew up. And I have to approach them in this sequence, because the first triggered the second.

Through Danish expatriates in Spain Inge heard of the first tradition. She knew that I would find it interesting and told me about it. She was right. I used the first opportunity during a leisurely chat with my Spanish colleague to inquire about this tradition. Rafael is a genuine Catalan, so I was properly introduced to the existence of the Caganer.

I hope that I don’t refer to this incorrectly. My understanding is that as many good Catholics do elsewhere in the world, many Catalans also create – every year at Yuletide – a decorative nativity scene with the 3 Kings, Maria, Joseph, Jesus, donkeys and other domestic animals. After having heard Rafael’s explanation I imagine that palm trees and perhaps some bushes are included as well.

Why trees and bushes? Well the Catalan tradition I refer to include a 7^th person – the Caganer – and since his role is not amongst the most prominent in the nativity scene, he will need to have something to hide behind. You know, out of courtesy. Why? Well, almost hidden in the scene the Caganer squats and obeys the call of nature.

The Caganer’s role is in my interpretation to remind us that Yuletide, in parallel with the spiritual aspects, is also featured by eating well and amidst it all, that we’re still only humans.

Now, I liked that and also found the associated tradition of Catalan kids sympathetic – they compete for who can find him first in the various nativity scenes they encounter during the Yuletide.

I was very grateful for this information and wanted to reciprocate by telling my colleague about the Danes’ relation with “Nisser”. Not to give him the longer story of nisser’s role in Danish folkloric traditions, but the short one related to Yuletide. So I told him that “Nisse” is Danish for a pixy-like little person and that I grew up with them – not as 3 dimensional figurines, but as climbing cardboard-nisser who in December were placed everywhere indoor, as an integral part of the domestic Yuletide decoration.

When Rafael asked what they looked like, I realised that I had a problem. Not what regards describing their pixy-hats or that their dress code was dominated by red and grey. It was rather when I tried to describe their faces, expressions and behaviour that I did not have an answer ready. Were they kind, were they grumpy, were they goblins in their heart of hearts?

Inge said that we could take the opportunity of our upcoming trip to Copenhagen to find a “real” nisse, so that we could show him what they look like. We both believed it would be piece of cake to find one. It was beginning of December, so we imagined that every indoor decorating shop or department store would carry them abundantly.

We were right on this account, but none of the nisser we saw did satisfy our perception of what a “real” nisse should look like. Either they looked too modern as were they pulled out from a comic strip – lacking any respect for the traditions we grew up with – or they looked too cute. A nisse must have a little touch of slyness, some traces of goblin and in particular the young nisser must be teasers.

We did not find any.

So in despair we discussed our problem with friends and family, and it was only after a hint from my cousin, Ragnhild, that we on the last day spotted an elderly nisse-couple in a shop, the appearance and dress code of which matched sufficiently close with our perceptions. We bought the pair.

In our own unorthodox way we now have a very unusual table decoration for Yuletide. It includes this elderly pair of nisser and… yes, a Caganer! And he is super. He’s well sculptured and leaves no doubt as to what he is up to. Our Catalan quilting colleague and friend, Rosario Casanovas, had him made in terra-cotta by a local artist, A. Pujol (if I interpreted the signature correctly). Rosario arranged that he was brought to us by a lovely Spanish delegation of quilters during our exhibition in Alsace in September.

You can imagine that he and our nisse-couple make a great combination for Yuletide with roots way back in folkloric and pagan traditions. You could call this combination a true Yuletide installation.

Where is the artistic touch to this story?

Well, where our nisser clearly are out of a production line our Caganer is a little terra-cotta figurine, a piece of artwork in a way, as he squats there, very well proportioned and designed with a wit (he smokes a pipe). Whereas the story thereby refers to a real piece of artwork it also touches on aspects of preconception and “first instance rejection”.

Preconception was demonstrated by Inge and I when browsing the shops in the search of a “real” nisse. Although we were not 100% sure, we nevertheless did show a strong degree of preconception as to this “real” look of a nisse.

We have long gotten accustomed to the presence of our Caganer, but the aspect of what I call “First time rejection” may have been demonstrated by those of you who found the Caganer bizarre and/or thought that our combination of him and the nisse-couple is an appalling table decoration.

But, if some of you – after having read this blog – think that behind the first appearance there may be something worth thinking over – then this is not bad at all. Even if the thought of these old traditions make you smile!

You see, for the diversity in art – in particular what regards textile art – it is very important to be aware of and preserve and nourish local and regional traditions. They are, after all, the roots and origins of the artwork we make today.

With these words of home made wisdom we, Inge and I, wish you all a very pleasant Yuletide.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 at 2:22 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.