Years and years have passed since this story, but it has endured in memory. Now we will tell you how it all happened, and you will judge if it was luck. Joan is the protagonist, a good Catalan farmer with a barretina, who started the now well-known tradition. He took care of the orchard and livestock on the family farm he inherited when a terrible drought came, making the harvest impossible. In that area of Catalonia, the land was dry and it didn’t rain. “What can I do to make the orchard bear fruit?” Joan thought every day, sadly watching the dry land while sitting under an oak tree. One day, his wife Vicenta forgot to lock the cow in the stable, and in the morning, they found that the animal had defecated all over the field.

Instead of cleaning up the mess, the farmer’s wife approached with a pitchfork in hand and mixed everything with the dry soil. Days and days passed, from sun to moon, from moon to sun, and not a single drop of rain fell. Still, good Joan watered the garden with the hope of an optimist and the faith of one who believes in what they cannot see. Then, one morning, with the rooster’s crow, green shoots appeared in the rows of soil where she had hidden the cow’s manure. When the pair of farmers awoke, they couldn’t believe the miracle. “It must be the cow’s droppings!” exclaimed the happy wife. And then she told her husband, who had a great idea: “What we must do, my love, is spread manure everywhere!”

They organized themselves so that she cooked almost all day and he kept the soil moist. They both had to eat enough to be able to defecate around the farm. And, in a different spot each time, they fertilized the land with joy. Their neighboring farmers were quite surprised. Everyone wanted to know the secret, which Joanet shared with them. At the end of the harvest season, they all celebrated the abundance brought to them by the cow, Pepita. Year after year, they repeated the ritual every winter around Christmas. Since then, Vicenta and Joanet have been known, beyond their little village, as those who brought good fortune to Catalan farmers, or as the Caganer couple. But Joanet, being quite the dreamer, wasn’t entirely satisfied and proposed to his love: “What if we make more people smile?” She immediately understood what he had in mind. And so, they packed their bags, and with a wish in their hearts, they traveled the world, spreading happiness to everyone!