Welcome to "El Bicentenario" the 200th Anniversary of Chilean Independence. Now i've already referenced Chilean's insane ability to party hardy all the time, but I was in no way prepared for the festivities that awaited me. On that Thursday night, the kick off to the National Party of Chile, I was introduced to una fiesta like I'd never seen before. Bienvenidos to the four-and-a-half day long celebration of "El Dieciocho"
El Dieciseis
Approximately 80,000 Chileans and a handful of Gringos squeezed themselves in front of "La Moneda," the governmental palace, to watch a light show detailing Chilean history on the tiling of the building. I was unfortunately one of those gringos. I arrived maybe an hour and a half early for the spectacular with a few friends, expecting crowds, yes, but not the what appeared to be half a million people that were already camped out. We somehow maneuvered our way through the hoards until we were pretty close to the front. Initially, though our area was crowded, it wasn't frightening- I could move to tell something to a friend, open and shut my purse, and was texting. And then, as the clock inched closer and closer to the promised 9:30 PM start time things started gettin' craaaazy. My personal space got smaller and smaller until I could no longer move any part of my body. My arms were squashed to my sides, and I was pushed with the crowd back and forth, side to side. My friends were gone. Certain that my trampled-t0-death demise awaited me, I fruitlessly searched for ways to escape if need be. Could I climb up that nearby tree? No- too many people in the way. What about jumping on top of the hood of that car over there? Again- impossible. I was stuck. And super freaked out.
My saving grace came in the form of a screaming, panic stricken two year old child. (And rightfully so! Even with 18 years up on her I felt her terror.) Pretending I was a part of the family, I clung to the shoulder of the mom and pushed my way out with them, going for hundreds of yards until finally I saw streetlights.
Fortunately, the night ended well. After meeting back up with my friends (which was quite the ordeal in itself- I had no money on my phone so I couldn't call anyone) we made our way to a firestation to continue on the celebration. That's right- a firestation! In Chile, all of the firemen, or bomberos are volunteers. One of our friends through school is one of these such folks, so he invited us over to share some drinks, take a tour of the house, and hang out. The entire time I felt like I was doing something illegal- drinking beer in a firestation?- but Cristobal, el amigo bombero, assured us it was fine. The funniest part was when older firemen (pushing 60) came in to talk and drink. I kept turning my shoulders, looking for the fire chief to come out and reprimand us for our misdeeds, but none came and we raged on. On the bus home in the wee hours of the morning, I knew this was only the beginning.
Hangin in the station
El Diecisiete
Tamer than day 1 of the Bicentennial celebrations, the highlight of day 2 was going to Parque Indes de Suarez with my host parents to listen to traditional Chilean music, watch people dance the traditional Cueca and eat plenty of traditional Chilean food. Independence day celebrations throughout Chile are often held in large parks filled with fondas, structures made of tree branches where lots of alcohol and food are served, and, as a result of all the cerveza, vino, and chicha, things get a little wild. The three of us didn't quite make the greatest partying team, so instead of hitting up a large, drunken park, we settled for a smaller one filled with children and families. After my experience the night before, I was more than relieved for the relative tranquility. Though the park's festivities continued until well past midnight, we ventured home around 11. It was crucial that we get our sleep for the following day....the highly anticipated Dieciocho.
El Dieciocho
23 family members arrived around 12 to begin the celebrations. Meeting 23 family members of any family other than your own can be a little menacing, and meeting 23 family members who exclusively speak Spanish about doubles the intimidation factor. Fortunately, everyone was extremely friendly, patient, and funny. I met aunts, uncles, cousins, kids of cousins, girlfriends, boyfriends, nieces and nephews. Basically all you do on El Dieciocho is eat and drink.
The grill was fired up by one, the first batch of salchichas and pollo out by 2, and it wasn't until 6 or 7 that we patted our bursting bellies and said enough is enough. (But actually enough turned out to be not enough- much to my dismay we ate some more salchichas around 11.)
Our first appetizer: empanadas
Sporadically we took a breather from the face-stuffing and wine-guzzling to dance. And everyone danced. From the rambunctious two year old to the oldest brother with bad hips, everyone tromped out to the dirt patch and Cueca-ed. Including the gringa. Since I literally had no idea what I was doing, I kind of bounced up and down, raised my hands occasionally, flicked a wrist, did a twirl, and hoped I only looked half a fool. However the video my mom insisted on taking assured me that I absolutely looked like a complete fool. Despite this, the dancing was on of my favorite parts of the day.
The scene: Food, wine, dancing
Eventually the traditional Chilean music was deemed boring by 13 year old grandson Tomas, and a quick radio station change led to a serious reggaeton (Spanish rap/reggae) groove session. Everyone was laughing and making fun of each other and I felt like it was my own family I was with. The celebration didn't end until 2 in the morning when my host mom, for the second time that night, said enough is enough. I went to bed full, exhausted, and grateful that I ended up with such a fun family.
El Diecinueve
I wasn't lying when I said I was exhausted.. I didn't wake up the next day until half past one. Whoops! Speaking Spanish for 14 straight hours will do that to you. We ate an entirely vegetarian lunch, and then I met up with friend Andrea to revisit Parque Ines de Suarez. We went with her family who has an adorable 10 month old, and basically anything involving children makes me happy, so I was okay to sit through some of the same performances I'd seen on the 17th.
El Veinte
During the day Andrea and I hung out in BellaVista, a chic artsy neighborhood downtown. After an early dinner and a cerveza, we decided to face our fears and head back to La Moneda.
This time we were smart. Not only did we arrive almost two hours early, but we hightailed it straight to some fences in the back. When the spectacle started (and spectacular it was) we sat on the fences and had a perfect view over the 45,000 heads in front of us. I don't know the show worked besides that it used light and water, but it was super. The building was the canvas for a brief history show, but also was turned into a fun house of sorts- the pillars moved like cooked spaghetti, the windows opened closed, and the entire face seemed to sway with the wind. It was completely worth the return.
As fun as the four day weekend was, I think the entire country sighed a collective sigh of relief as the lights on La Moneda danced their final dance and the metros carried their passengers home. I am so happy I got to experience this famous Chilean Holiday, and during the Bicentennial nonetheless, but I was excited to restart school Tuesday and get back into my normal schedule. I had been told by my host sister that "El Dieciocho is like July 4th, but much bigger," and the experiences I had confirmed that statement. The US needs to take some pointers from Chile because from now on I'll think the Fourth of July is slackin'!
La Moneda, pre-show
On a more recent note, I went to the beach this weekend. It was beautiful. I'll write about it soon!
Ciao and Besos,
Hennessy
I'm exhausted just reading about your adventures. besosxxoo
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