September: A Month Long Indepedence Celebration (Part one)

You get the sense that something BIG is about to happen. Stores are having huge sales. Drums can be heard in the distance in the evenings. Occasional fireworks. Flags are being sold on the street corners. What is going on?

Well, this coming year (2010) is the Bicentennial (200th) celebration of Chile's Independence. The actual date is Sept. 18th, but typically it's celebrated throughout the whole month of September. Chileans spend a lot of money during September.

In the next few posts, we will share some excerpts from an excellent article about how Chileans celebrate their independence.

Part One...

When Chileans wake up on Independence Day (September 18), chances are many of them have already celebrated some parts of this holiday on previous days, or even as far back as the beginning of the month of September. Dieciocho (pronounced dee-ay-see-OH-cho) comes from the words diez (ten), y (and), ocho (eight) and is the name of the national holiday on September 18 that commemorates Chile's first moves in 1810 towards winning independence from Spain. Chile celebrates the day when the country began to be governed only by people from Chile, although Spain continued as overseer until 1818, when complete independence was won.

Nowadays, Independence Day is encased in a whole month called Mes de la Patria, (Month of the Nation). Patriotic activities start on September 1 and continue until the end of the month, with the nucleus of the celebration in a five-day period from September 16-20. During these five days, the events of the whole month of September are highlighted, and most Chileans participate in some form of the celebration, both at home and in public places. The most popular events and activities in September are asados, fondas, and cueca: dancing, kite-flying, and, of course, flag-waving.

Come back tomorrow for Part Two: The Cueca (Chile's National Dance)