Dieciocho, Fiestas Patrias, Chilean Independence

The fiestas patrias really were a sight to see here in La Serena, and throughout all of chile. For you chilean history buffs out there, the 18th (dieciocho) of september marks of the anniversary of the first independent chilean junta, or council, in 1810. Starting about two weeks before the 18th in La Serena, all of the colectivos and taxis were decorated with streamers and chilean flags. Every house put up their own chilean flag (I later found out there is a fine if you don´t, but i liked to pretend that everyone did it just because). In La Serena, the celebrations last an entire week (most cities only got monday and tuesday) and everyone was out of school and out creating havoc. One highlight of a typical celebration was when I went to a "fonda." A fonda is a large tented dance party with my chilean friend and was dragged onto the dancefloor by his sufficiently inebriated aunts to learn cultural chilean dances until four in the morning. Here are some photos of the week´s festivities, with all of the meat and wine, and chilean flags, and hoards of people, and more meat, and more wine.

Here is a foto of my chilean family celebrating the dieciocho in our small, concrete backyard. In the photo is my two chilean parents Norma and Edgardo (with the little cousins, Ignacio "Nacho" and Francisco), my brother Fernando and his polola (girlfriend), and my sister María (who lives in nearby coquimbo).

Here are my two Chilean parents, Norma and Edgardo showing me the in and outs of the chilean cultural dances.

Here we are getting the barbeque ready for the unimaginable amount of meat that we cooked that day.

After the meal, Francisco, Ignacio, and I played with some bubbles, because nothing says chilean independence like some burbujas.

Edgardo and Igna.

La Serena and coquimbo alway enjoy what they call the largest party in chile, the Pampilla. It is on a hillside in coquimbo where thousands of people camp out (up to two weeks in advance) to get a spot around the music and activities that go on here. The celebration slightly resembled a mix between fourth of july bbq, flea market, and refugee camp all mixed into one.

Drummer man and little drummer boy confer before their impressive presentation.

In the corral, there are rodeos and typical chilean games. Here, children chase after roosters thrown into the fray.

The skies during the entire fiestas patrias were full of kites. At the pampilla, it was amazzing to see hundreds of kites dancing in the sky to the music.

I went to the pampilla with my midd friend, Emily, and two Germans who we have met from classes, Biggi and Jackie. Don´t worry you don´t need to say it, we know we all look so chilean, it must be the blond hair.

Fiestas Patrias we also filled with an extroadinary amount of the chilean national dance, Cueca.