For a few years there has been a growing trend among urbanites to go to the mountains to look for their uncle. This means that Catalonia is now divided into two sides: those who believe that the stump in question should be hunted - to add more interest to this tradition - and those who consider that enough is enough, each December, surreptitiously remove it from the closet where it was stored the previous year.
The abundance of fathers, mothers and children who these days wander through the woods in search of their uncle means that in some places the agglomerations are considerable. The far-sighted parents even go with a map that their uncle has sent them on WhatsApp. The map indicates the exact place where the barretined trunk awaits them. Because – this is another one – the uncle they discover in the middle of the forest is anthropomorphic, with a hat, the face of an idiot and two front paws.
Since many people are short, to prevent risks, Civil Protection and the Rural Agents body have published several recommendations for going to find him safely: that adults take care of the little ones, that they wear good shoes, that they inform themselves of the weather and that they don't take protected plants. They don't say anything about going there or not with chainsaws.
From being an exclusively rural tradition, one day the uncle became a custom that urbanites embraced with delight. This is where the problems started. The last thing I hear about is this new character, Uncle Buscall, an individual in a sweater made of tree leaves and a red beret (the beret that is never missing, especially!), who lives in the forest and encourages the arrival of the tions. He is the one who hangs them from the trees and delivers them either directly to the scoundrel or to the shops that sell them. He is the head of the mafia network, without having registered under any heading or paying taxes. A model for children, a new hero to emulate.
