Catalan people

The World’s Gerry Hadden has lived in Catalonia for eight years. He speaks English, Spanish, French and German. But not Catalan. His kids speak it, his neighbors speak it, FC Barcelona speak it. Gerry doesn’t speak Catalan because he doesn’t need to.

Spain’s northeast region of Catalonia holds elections Sunday. Its regional president, Artur Mas, says if he wins a majority, he’ll hold a referendum on independence from Spain.

Spain’s ongoing economic crisis is straining relations between the central government and the country’s semi-autonomous regions.

The World’s Gerry Hadden reports a Christmas tradition in the Catalonian region of Spain. It will strike you as unusual and might strike you as offensive. It is a figure in the Catalonian nativity scene called the �pooper.�