
LifeStyle
Unusual characters who turn up at Christmas
Alekk M. Saanders
...why parents and grandparents of Écija encourage the youngest members of the household to eat everything on the plate by saying, "Tientapanza will come to touch the tummies of every child to determine whether or not they are good eaters." If the ... children are good eaters, then they will be able to receive gifts from the Three Kings when they arrive. The figure known as Tientapanza, or even Titopanza, is actually related to the Galician Apalpador or Apalpa-Barrigas, a coalman from the mountains.