Dec. 16, 2009
Catalan, Spain
PLUS:
- How To Find English-Language Books Anywhere In The World...
- "Can I Get A Foreign Resident Visa As A Retiree In Panama?"...
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Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,
"Every Dec. 8, the Feast of The Immaculate Conception," writes Euro-Correspondent Lucy Culpepper, "a little Christmas log (Tío de Nadal) appears in the homes of the Catalan people.
The log, popularly called 'Caga Tío' ('Pooping Log'), has a perky face painted on one end and a jaunty little red hat and is fed and watered from Dec. 8 through Dec. 23. At bedtime, the log is covered up with a red or tartan blanket to keep it cozy. On the 24th, children and adults gather around Tío and, at first, tap him gently with a stick as they sing Tío's song:
"
Caga Tío, Tío de Nadal, no caguis arengades,
Que son massa salades,
Caga turrons! Que son mes bons.
"(Christmas Log, Christmas Log, don't poop sardines,
They are too salty,
Poop
turrons (nougat)! They are much better.)
"The pace and force of hitting picks up, ending with each person giving Tío a mighty whack in the hope that he poops some candy underneath his blanket, which, of course, eventually he does.
"Don't be confused by the translation of 'Tío' as 'log' and not 'uncle.'
'Tío' is Catalan for log, whereas
'tío,' with the accent on the 'o,' is 'uncle' in Spanish.
"Pooping is not a tradition confined to Tío at Christmas. If you look carefully at Catalan nativity scenes, you'll see a figure (Caganer) with trousers down, squatting, perhaps behind a barn or a bush, to, well...poop! Even as the Messiah is born, the Catalans believe that nothing should distract man from giving back nourishment to the ground on which we depend.
"Catalan children then have a long wait. Santa does not come down their chimneys. Instead, Los Reyes (The Kings, or Els Reis, in Catalan) bring gifts to each home at dawn on Jan. 6, Epiphany. The days leading up to Jan. 5, Spanish children deliver letters to the King's Postmen (
carters).
"In Sitges, close to Barcelona, 'Els Reis' is a magical celebration. On the night of the 5th, the entire town gathers beneath the towering 15th-century church for the arrival of The Kings. There is a mass of glowing lanterns, each one clutched by an expectant child.
"Each year there is a slightly different 'arrival.' My favorite began with a boat bobbing along the coast with golden lights flashing off its bow. After what seemed like an age, the Kings appeared at the top of the church steps, 100 feet above us. Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, each inside a massive clear ball, were rolled gently down the long flight of steps to a platform raised above our heads. The sumptuously dressed kings were then raised onto mechanized, larger-than-life-sized camels and set off to parade around the town, throwing vast amounts of candy to all the cheering Sitgeanas. When the children return home, they leave out a pair of old shoes, which are replaced, by dawn the next day, with the Kings' gifts.
"Epiphany is a grand family celebration with a large ring-shaped cake, the Tortell dels Reis, forming the centerpiece. The Tortell is decorated with candied fruits, symbolizing the emeralds and rubies on the robes of the Three Kings. Hidden inside the cake is a tiny crown; the person to find it is King or Queen of the house for the remainder of the day."
Kathleen Peddicord
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"If I retire in
Panama, can I get a
resident visa or a
second passport? What is required for this?"
-- Leopold S., United States
Panama offers one of the best foreign resident retirement programs in the world. To qualify for the retirement (
pensionado) visa in this country, you must earn a minimum of US$1,000 a month from a fixed, for life, pension, either government or private. You would need to be able to prove an additional US$250 a month in pension income for each dependant moving to Panama with you. If you are married, your spouse qualifies as a dependant. Note that spouses can combine pensions to meet the minimum financial requirements.
Panama's
pensionado visa comes with many benefits, including discounts of up to 50% on local entertainment, transportation (including in-country airfares), hotels, hospital bills, even closing costs related to the purchase of real estate. As a
pensionado retiree in Panama, you are also entitled to a one-time tax exemption on the importation of household goods (up to US$10,000) and a duty exemption every two years for the importation or local purchase of a new car.
After five years of permanent residency, you can apply for Panamanian citizenship and a Panama passport.
You must undertake the visa application process in Panama with the help of a local attorney. Our recommended legal eagle is Rainelda Mata-Kelly, who has been our personal attorney in this country for more than a decade.
Reach Rainelda here.
"A fellow reader wrote recently to ask if there are
bookstores in Panama. I just found a good alternative for sourcing English-language books anywhere in the world. Buy an electronic reader and download books at will from the Internet. The file sizes are small enough that they are easy to download from a coffee shop hot spot. The books are very cost effective compared with hard copies, and the download process is very quick. Click and drag. The books are searchable, too.
"Merry Christmas!"
-- Ed G., United States 