Vara is a term that comes from Latin and refers to a cane, a cane, a branch or an elongated stick. For example: “Go get some sticks so we can light the fire”, “Surrounded by wolves, the young man took a stick with the intention of scaring them away”, “With the help of a stick, the woman managed to reach the bag. ”
A branch can be a branch removed from a tree and from which the leaves, flowers and stems are removed. Sticks can be used to start a fire, make marks on the ground, or hit someone. They can also be used as a support to move more safely and firmly.
In the Bible, the rod is cited as an instrument that allows people to be punished. Wands that are magical elements are also mentioned, as is the case with the wands that Moses and Aaron possessed. In the Old Testament, Moses carried a staff with which he could perform miracles. God let him know that this instrument would allow him to perform prodigies and thus he could fulfill his mission. One of these acts consisted of turning the rod into a serpent, something that Moses demonstrated before his people to gain his trust. He later went with Aaron to visit the monarch and did the aforementioned trick on him, but this time the snake swallowed the wands of the wizards. It was with this same piece of wood that Moses turned water into blood, attracted a legion of locusts, and parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape Pharaoh’s army. He also used it to draw water from a rock to quench the thirst of his people. As mentioned in a previous paragraph, Aaron also had a rod that played a very important role in the Bible. Like Moses, he had the power to perform miracles. It all started when God ordered Moses to take a dry stick from the almond trees of each tribe and place them in the Tabernacle (the traveling sanctuary created on Mount Sinai for Yavheh); the only one that flourished was Aaron’s. Several ancient officials carried a cane as a symbol of authority. For this reason, in addition to the biblical tradition, the rods are currently associated with orders, mandates or punishments: “The governor threatened to use the rod against the rebel mayors”, “In this house I have the rod: I recommend that you pay attention to me” .
The rod as an instrument of punishment has been used since time immemorial in various contexts, from educational to military, and this custom is maintained in some parts of the world. For example, it is used to flog criminals as punishment for certain crimes, but also to discipline students in reform schools. As part of a proper name, El Tío la Vara is a character from the Spanish comedy show La hora de José Mota. It is about a hero named Eladio Guardiola, born in Alcafrán in 1958. When he was little, his father gave him a cane with the aim of using it to eliminate the stupidity of the world, and so Eladio began to train. Like the other sections of the program, the plot and the jokes of El Tío la Vara belong to the absurd. Stick, finally, was the name of a unit of length equal to three feet. Since the size of the foot varied by region, the stem could measure 0.278635 meters, 0.768 meters, or 0.835905 meters, just to mention a few possibilities.
