An uncle (tizón in Spanish) is a tree trunk or trunk suitable for burning or a half-burned wood trunk, when we put a log on the fire and it is consumed it acquires a black color and becomes charcoal. In the old days, in the farmhouses, everyone had a fire on the ground or more than one.

During the Christmas holidays, the family gathered at the edge of the fireplace and enjoyed the most special meals of the year. The fire that burned was the mainstay and the most important thing to have a Merry Christmas. It was the best gift, the burning uncle gave warmth, light and warmth.

In many religions, fire is a key element that represents purification, and many symbols emerge from it. The fire is strongly rooted in Catalan traditions (the fallas del Pirineu, Sant Joan, Sant Josep, the night of kings for example in the Riera de Gaià…) how could it be otherwise one of the most popular traditions for the Christmas festivities, the uncle, also has its origins in fire.

The search for the uncle

Fifteen days before the Christmas holidays he went out to look for a very fat uncle able to provide light and warmth during all holidays. This meant that around December 8, families would go to the piece to look for it, more or less as we do now. It is on the bridge of the purest that the families go to look for the uncle and feed him until the big day arrives.
In the past, it was the family’s grandfather who went to look for his uncle, the “head of house”Was the one who officiated the rite. They were not worth all the trunks or stumps, they had to be thick, dry and above all a very old trunk and if it had holes much better. If the wood was oak or holm oak, the logs would burn slowly and would be guaranteed to warm up on these cold days.
There was a belief throughout Europe that forest spirits and fairies lived in the holes of old stumps.

Before Christmas Eve the uncle would leave himself very close to the house and treat him like one more of the family, giving him food and drink, even taking him out to graze as they did, for example, in the Borges Blanques. They say their favorite food is the same as that of animals round foot: carobs, apples, carrots, cabbage… Somehow the uncle will be the mount of the fire, hence he has the same food as a horse, donkey or mule.

Making uncle shit: a tradition full of rituals

When the time came, they put the uncle on the fire so that one head remained inside the fireplace and burned while the other remained outside. Before the celebration the head of the family he sprinkled it with wine so that it "fell" hard, somehow I was baptizing it. After the Christmas dinner and just before going to Mass at the Rooster, the nanny would beat it, the gifts and nougat would fall from the holes in the trunk and the children would explode with joy. The uncle pooped until he couldn't take it anymore, in some places in Catalonia it was said that the sticks had to be lit in order for him to poop hard. When the uncle couldn't take it anymore, he would shit a salted herring, a garlic, an onion, or he would urinate on the floor.

Symbolically, fire connects the world of the living with the dead, the smoke that emanates from it makes us think that it is a path that keeps us connected. On Christmas night offerings were made to the fire, often food. It is believed that the spiritual dimension of the offerings went to the world of the dead and the physical dimension was a present for the living, especially for the little ones in the house. If the infants they ate those offerings, they would be protected all year round. That's why Uncle "drops" sweets and gifts, especially for the little ones.

These are the origins of this beautiful tradition, you already know its evolution, but it is very important not to lose its roots.

If you want to know in depth the origins of the uncle click here >>>

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