Cuasimodo a la Chilena

Cuasimodo… you’re thinking Hunchback of Notre Dame, right? (and I bet you’re spelling it with a Q, but that would be Latin, and I’m thinking in Spanish here)… Any idea WHY the Victor Hugo character was called Quasimodo?

Chile’s Parada Militar: gotta love a parade

September has come and gone and the 199^th Fiestas Patrias on the 18^th are a happy memory, as is this year’s Parada Militar—the Military Parade—which happens every year on September 19^th, the Día de las Glorias del Ejército (Armed Forces Day).

This was actually the first time I’d ever been to the Parade. I generally steer clear of all things military, but I decided that this was the year to make the trek to Parque O’Higgins and check it out. Eileen from Bearshapedsphere went too, but she was much faster about getting her post up, and you can check that out here: Chile’s Sept 18th/19th Parada Militar/Military Parade. In words and pictures.

So what’s taken me so long? Fair enough. True confession. I got carried away with the camera and took some 550 shots and have been having a great time Photoshopping away ever since. No, I’m not going to show you all the shots… although I’d love to show you far more than I’ve selected here, but they’ll have to wait for another time.

The parade was set to start at 2:45, so we thought we were pretty clever getting there by 1:00, but right there we were showing our gringa naiveté, because several thousand  earlier birds already had a pretty tight choke hold on those tasty worms we were all after, which is to say that the place was packed and there was not a spot to be found that wasn’t already 3 deep in people lining the parade grounds. No matter. We were there to people watch anyway, and that we certainly did.

We entered the park and followed the crowd through the maze of vendors selling everything from cotton candy to kites to toilet seat covers (who buys toilet seat cover sets at a parade?), but mostly food. Lots of food:

Just a sampling of parade fare

Many people came equipped with picnics, but plenty were taking advantage of (from left to right) the (1) empanadas de pino (beef empanadas), (2) fresh fruit salad, (3) fresh squeezed orange juice, (4) candied apples and sweet popcorn, (5) more empanadas, (6) guatitas and longaniza (tripe and sausage, a combination I’ve never seen offered in public before), and (7) the ever-famous mote con huesillo (see Dieciocho for a discussion on this favorite dessert/drink).

We spent a lot of time wandering through the park and finally managed to wrangle a not-so-great spot where we watched the first part of the parade, which always includes huasos offering the president chicha in a cacho (partially fermented grape juice in a silver-rimmed cow horn). We were much too far away to see it, but both the huasos and the president herself were kind enough to head on down our way. She was clearly glad to see us. Probably pretty amazed to see how cleverly Eileen dangles from tall, spiky fences with one hand while taking pictures with the other.

Chicha-bearing huasos and President Michelle Bachelet

We didn’t stay put very long. Not only did we not realize that to get a good position we would have had to arrive at the crack of dawn, but also that we were clearly not dressed properly either. It turns out that parade attire de rigueur includes small children as head and shoulder wear.

We did manage to catch glimpses of some pretty snazzy uniforms though.

So we moseyed along out through the very large park, making our way to the opposite side, taking in the sites, watching the people, enjoying the day. The soldiers weren’t the only ones in uniform, it turned out. Standard-issue for little girls was definitely flowered huasa/china dresses (again, see the comments on the Dieciocho post for a full explanation of what that is all about). There were a lot of them, and they sure were cute.

Little girls dress up as huasitas (or chinas) for the Independece Day festivities

When we finally got to the other side, we discovered that we had quite cleverly outwitted the crowds, and by standing along Avenida Beauchef, far from the bandstand madness within, we had perfect access to the parade as the marching groups exited the park.

This year some 11,500 members of the armed forces and police (carabineros) marched–300 more than last year. There were also more women in uniform than ever, 892 this year: 218 Army, 199 Navy, 101 Air Force, 373 Carabinera-Police).

Even the dogs love a good parade (©MSnookT 2009)

Next generation

Anyone who has ever spent any time in Santiago knows that the dogs like to participate in civic life and show up everywhere.  (See the post on “It’s a Dog’s World“).

Everyone wants to get in on the act, and it seems that soldiers just keep getting younger and younger all the time! This kid was just marching along, all on his own, pretty oblivious to all the attention he attracted. We never did find out who he belonged to!

My favorites–in any parade–are the bands. I love to get right out in the middle with my camera and let the bands pass me–the feeling of being surrounded by all the drumming gets me going, and it’s by far the best way to get in close for some real action shots. In fact, I spent about 20 minutes in the middle of the street and chasing tuba players until some official finally kicked me out.  (If you look closely enough at the tubas, you’ll see that they include a self portrait!)

Chile’s Fiestas Patrias: Fondas for September

Another major part of Chile’s Fiestas Patrias—Independence Day celebrations—are the “fondas.” Also called “ramadas” because they are often made with branches (ramas) these temporary fairs are set up in parks all over the country for about 10 days of food, games, drinking, dancing, crafts of all sorts, and general good times to be had. Some of the bigger (and/or more rural) ones have rodeos and most will have cueca contests.  There are the municipal versions as well as some of the more popular ones such as the now-famous “Yein Fonda” (which in Chilean sounds just like the actress) and the Guachaca version full of cueca chora.

Fondas kick off the weekend before the September 18^th holiday and close up the Sunday following, although they sometimes reappear as “18 Chico” the following weekend.

Girl in traditional flowered "huasa" dress buys a treat from the organ grinder

They are very family oriented by day, although by no means cheap. Entrance fees can vary widely from a luca or so ($1000 pesos, about $1 USD) to $10,000 pesos for some of the more upscale versions with more bands. And once inside, prices of everything are considerably higher than anywhere else in town.

Price doesn’t seem to matter much though. Families save up to go (reminds me of going to the State Fair as a kid). Organ grinders crank away and the kids line up to buy their pinwheels, slinkies, glow-lights, and other souvenir treats.

Magicians and other entertainers draw crowds

The food is one of the biggest attractions.

This menu for an informal sit-down restaurant offers all the favorites: pork, cazuela, salads, soft drinks, choripan (grilled sausage on a roll), empanadas (savory baked beef or fried cheese pastries), anticuchos (skewered meats), beer, chicha (a partially fermented and very sweet almost-wine), french fries, mote con huesillo (a wheat and peach drink/dessert), terremoto (rustic wine with pineapple sherbet), wine, coffee, or tea.

Pork ribs on the grill, empanadas in the oven

Fried cheese empanadas

Snack food that can be eaten out of hand while strolling through the fonda is perhaps the best of all.

A fan of choripan (note the anticuchos on the grill behind him)

Cueca in Providencia-Fonda at the Parque Inés de Suarez

As night falls and the level of alcohol consumed rises, the families tend to clear out and leave room for the revelers who come for the shows, dancing, and more booze. Amazing quantities of chicha, beer, and wine  are consumed. In fact, this is Chile’s biggest drinking holiday, much akin to New Year’s Eve in the US.

It seems that 2009 is the year of the Cueca Chora (also called Cueca Brava). Young people who were long reticent to twirl their handkerchiefs and stomp their feet have taken new pride in the national dance.

White handkerchiefs fill the air when Las Niñas take the stage

For more on September 18 Fiestas Patrias activities, see “El Dieciocho“.

“El Dieciocho” Chilean Independence Day = Fiestas Patrias

September 18, 2009: Chile celebrated the 199^th anniversary of its declaration of independence and simultaneously kicked off its countdown to its Bicentennial.

Chileans take their Independence Day—September 18—very seriously.

Chile-colored decorations and huasita dresses for little girls

The entire country pretty much shuts down for a week or so come mid-September. Independence Day is on the 18^th (a Friday this year), and the 19^th is also a legal holiday in honor of the military, but which most people just consider a “recovering from the 18^th day). You might think that 2 days would be sufficient to celebrate—but you’d be very mistaken.

The first signs of National Pride Frenzy begin to appear in early September when all the flag-colored red-white-and-blue decorations go up and the first street vendors appear with little flags that drivers attach to insides and outsides of their cars. Store workers begin to wear their September uniforms and dress up as huasos and huasas. School children practice their traditional dances and shop windows fill up with traditional little flowered huasita dresses for the girls and little black suits and chupaya hats for the boys. Most people hang (rather than fly) the flag from their home. Flag display was mandatory during the military years and therefore fell out of favor for many years, but there seems to be an ever-increasing number of homes sporting flags these days as we creep ever closer to next year’s Bicentennial.

The weekend before the 18^th kicks off the fonda season, during which the parks fill up with stands offering games, pony rides, music, dance, and plenty of traditional foods: empanadas, skewered meats (anticuchos), and choripanes (chorizo sausage sandwiches) and drinks, particularly chicha (a very sweet partially fermented grape almost-wine).
(For more about fondas see “Chile’s Fiestas Patrias: Fondas for September“.)

Overall production slows visibly the following Monday and declines steadily as the week wears on and the anticipation of the festivities gear up. Most companies close entirely at midday on the 17^th—often for a company barbecue party.

Fiestas Patrias is a celebration of family, friends, food, and tradition as much as it is about national pride. It is also a celebration of spring, and the newly blue skies fill with kites, the backyard grills fire up, and the patio furniture gets dusted off.

We celebrated this year in the most traditional way possible: surrounded by good friends and family at a backyard asado (barbecue) that started in the early afternoon and lasted til nearly midnight…just like millions of other Chileans throughout the entire country.

Trompos (tops) are a traditional toy that require the skill passed on from generation to generation

It takes a while to get it right... (Critics!)

Choripanes (sausage from Chillán on a bun) come off the grill and are served with chicha while we wait for the real meal to be ready.

Choripan takes the edge off while waiting for lunch

A special treat: slow-cooked lamb roasted in a traditional horno de barro (adobe oven)

After an enormous (and delicious) meal of lamb, a wide assortment of salads, and plenty of red wine, it’s time for dessert:

Mote con Huesillo: a traditionally refreshing dessert of wheat and stewed dried peaches in their juice

Let the games begin!

Rayuela: Chile's answer to horse shoes

Rayuela (the home version): the disc closest to the center of the string wins

As night falls, the lamb makes a reappearance–this time in sandwich form, we relax, chat, and then the dancing begins!

Cueca til you drop!

Happy 199^th Birthday Chile!

May 1: Chilean Labor Day

May 1 is a holiday in Chile, and since it falls on a Friday this year, for many Chileans, it signals a 3-day exodus from smoggy Santiago. For many others, it will be a day of reflection, marches, and protest.

I always associated May 1—May Day—with a maypole and the jangling bells and clacking sticks of Morris dancers at dawn on the city’s highest hilltop. Dressed in white and dripping with brightly colored ribbons and bells, the dancers jumped and stomped and twirled and swirled their way through the steps passed down for centuries and distributed sweet cakes and sprigs of the first spring flowers to ensure the region’s fertility—a spectacle that made for a pretty darned good reason to get up early on a frosty morning in May (yes, it’s still frosty at 6am in Upstate NY).

It wasn’t until graduate school that I learned that a good part of the rest of the world called it Labor Day. An Indian classmate and I stared at each other in mutual disbelief. I had no idea, and she couldn’t believe it. “But it started in the US!” she insisted. “But Labor Day is in September!” Slowly it started to make sense.

Briefly, a workers’ strike gone very wrong in Chicago ended in what is now known as the Haymarket Massacre of 1886. Someone threw a bomb, and the police fired onto the crowd, killing a dozen people and inciting horrified protest around the world. The anniversary was commemorated and eventually became an official holiday in many countries around the world. The US, with its fear of communism, socialism, and anarchism, and other movements associated with breaking the status quo, chose to divert attention from the fateful event and declared its decidedly non-political Labor Day to be the first Monday in September. For greater details, see: International Workers Day.

Chile is among the countries that marks May 1 as Labor Day since 1931. For some it’s a day of rest, for others, particularly supporters of the CUT (Central Unitaria de Trabajadores) it is a day of protest, demonstration, and marches in favor of workers’ rights.

Given the current global economic crisis, the CUT expects a record crowd this year for an authorized march in downtown Santiago that will begin at 10:00 AM in Estación Central (in front of USACH, the Universidad de Santiago de Chile) and move down Alameda to Avenida Brasil, where a stage will be set up for the event at 11:00. The primary goal of this year’s event is to initiate a petition with a goal of a million signatures, “Para que la crisis no la paguen los trabajadores” (Literally: So that the workers don’t pay for the crisis), that calls for major improvements in working conditions, such as putting an end to out-sourcing, temporary employment, and fixed-length contracts.

Some aspects of Chilean Labor Laws:

Ironically, the Haymarket Riots began as a result of workers striking for an 8-hour work week back in 1886, something that Chilean workers still have not accomplished. The standard work week in Chile is 45 hours (down from 48 just a few years ago). By the way, restaurant and hotel workers do 60 hours, often with grueling split shifts.

Chilean workers do, however, have a number of rights that workers in the US don’t even dare to dream of, such as a mandatory 3 weeks vacation after 1 year of service, up to 18 legal holidays, and maternity benefits do die for: 6 weeks prenatal and 3 months post-natal leave (dad’s get 5 days), with a special clause that stipulates that a woman cannot be fired or laid off from the moment her pregnancy begins until 1 year after her post-natal leave terminates (when the child is 1 year, 84 days old).

Workers who are laid off are entitled to a pretty attractive severance package that includes 1 month’s pay for every year of service and unemployment for up to 5 months.

See more at DT, the Dirección de Trabajo.

Llegó Marzo (March is upon us)

Llegó Marzo, literally, March has arrived… or rather, it is upon us.
Llegó Marzo. Two little words imbued with so much cultural significance.

It’s March. And in Chile, March is a rough month. Here in the southern hemisphere it means that summer is over and it’s time to get back to a real world that’s been waiting with a vengeance. Playtime’s over and we must buckle down, tote that barge and lift that bale once again.

Most real work seems to get done in the winter months, between April and August. Things start winding down in September with the arrival of spring and the extended Independence Day holidays. October starts the slippery slide toward the summer homestretch. November: school is wrapping up and the wedding season is on. December means graduations, shopping, holiday parties, and Christmas. January kicks off literally with a bang (fireworks), and let the summer begin. Vacations. Beach time. Travel time. Can’t get much done at work because people are already on mental vacation. February: the world comes to a screeching halt as the city bails and takes its urban hustle-bustle on the road. Mostly to the beach.

And then comes March. Reality kicks in… hard… Back to work, back to school, back to routine. Back to traffic jams, crowded subways and buses and long lines for colectivos.

And back to the bills-in-waiting after months of celebrations. Back to the bank for a loan. The ghost of Christmas (and summer) past stands shoulder to shoulder with the specter of costs to come. And as if back to school expenses weren’t brutal enough (registration, tuition, uniforms, books, schools supplies, etc.), someone got the bright idea that every car registration in the country must be renewed–you guessed it–in March (more lines, more bills). And taxes aren’t far behind.

March. It’s a government plot, I tell ya…
Hear that whip cracking? My theory is that it’s the government’s way of forcing us all back to work after such a long hiatus… Making sure that everyone is up to their necks in debt from the get-go to ensure another year of production!

Happy New Year! a la Chilena

Chilean New Year comes in mid-summer, which makes it great for evening activities outdoors, such as barbecues, fireworks, and long conversations into the night…Along with some fun traditions to bring luck, love, and money into the New Year!

Para español, usa la herramienta de traducción al la derecha…

Chilean New Year comes in mid-summer, which makes it great for evening activities outdoors, such as barbecues, fireworks, and long conversations into the night…Along with some fun traditions to bring luck, love, and money into the New Year!

Fireworks decorations and light-wrapped palms in Santiago

I’ve written (ok, complained) about missing snow at Christmas, but New Year’s in the summer is something entirely different! Wonderful, in fact!

New Year’s is not the big drinking holiday it is in the States (Chileans reserve that for Independence Day). It tends to have 2 parts: the family celebration lasts til midnight, then people disperse to celebrate with friends until dawn. 

Sure there are the big  and raucous fiestas at hotels and events centers, with party hats and dancing, but our own circle of family and friends prefer a quieter, more traditional celebration. We begin with a late dinner at the in-laws (with no particular food traditions), then turn on the TV just before 12 to watch the countdown… Santiago’s “Times Square” is the Entel Tower in the city center, where thousands of people gather hours before to watch the spectacular fireworks display at midnight.

5-4-3-2-1 ¡Feliz Año! And big hugs all around… best wishes for a new year… a little more chit chat and then the streets fill with people rushing off to their parties with friends. Santiago’s streets at 12:30-1:00AM on New Year’s Eve are like any workday traffic jam! Parents of teenagers deliver their kids to various houses and parties with strict orders to be home by dawn. My daughter once spent the night with a friend whose mother told the girls: “You’re 16, so be home by 6:00; your brother is 17, so be home by 7; your sister, at 18, must be home by 8:00″ (there are definite advantages to being a teenager in Chile!).

We head off to friends who always host their entire family for dinner on the patio. After another round of hugs–¡Feliz Año Compadre! ¡Que sea un buenísimo año Comadre! (In fact, this will go on we’re on for the next couple weeks). And we mingle over after dinner drinks, coffee, and lively conversations and debates long into the night until we finally call it a night about 3AM.

Yep, I really like the Chilean version of New Year… Sure beats hanging out with drunks in bars and then trying to stay out of their way as they drive home on icy streets in an Upstate New York blizzard!

Chilean New Year’s Traditions:

Holiday greeting cards usually wish people a Prosperous New Year, and there are many New Years Eve traditions associated with attracting wealth in the coming year.

Lucrative Lentils: eating lentils on New Year’s Eve ensures prosperity in the coming year.

12 Grapes: people eat a dozen grapes–one for each month of the year–to bring good economic fortune… hmmm- with the dour predictions for 2009, maybe we should have doubled the prescription!

Golden Toasts: not bread–place a gold ring in your bubbly for a prosperous new year… unless of course you choke on it and start the year with a large hospital bill!

Wheat for Abundance: ribbon-wrapped sprigs of wheat are commonly sold on the streets of Santiago at Christmas time and some people distribute them to each guest at midnight on New Year’s Eve to bring abundance.

Shoe Money: stick a luca (a $1000 peso bill) in your shoe before midnight and it will multiply in the coming year (it may even get a better rate than the banks do these days!)

But it’s not all about money, of course. Love, luck, and travel are also high on the wish list!

Yellow undies: looking to add some romance to your life? Be sure to wear your yellow panties on New Year’s Eve!

Undies inside out: clothes horses turn their underwear inside out to ensure a well-stocked closet in the coming year… make them yellow and get a “twofer” (would that be a well-dressed lover? Or maybe your well-dressed lover comes out of the closet?). Some people say they should be turned right-side-out after midnight for happiness. Others say this works best if the underwear is a gift.

Lugging the Luggage: feeling a bit of wanderlust? Make your dreams come true by taking your favorite suitcase for a walk around the block…

Burning the bad: this fun and even emotional ceremony requires tying a life-sized stuffed dummy to a stake and shortly after midnight, all the participants write something they want to change in the coming year, attach it to the dummy, which is then set to flame. The bad things in your life go up in flames!

Christmas a la Chilena

Christmas is over, finally… and thankfully. A northern gringa’s admittedly biased account of 15 sweltering Christmases in Chile.

Para Español, usa la herramienta de traducción a la derecha…

Caveat lector: I’m a northern gringa with dreams of a white Christmas who has spent the past 15 holiday seasons deep in the southern hemisphere. I admit it: I long to hear the crunch of the new fallen snow beneath my feet, the whizzing whirling tires of cars stuck in a drift, and the muted muffled hum of traffic on unplowed snow. I miss that oddly bright light that filters through my eyelids as I wake the morning after a heavy midnight

Christmas in Providencia

snowfall, and I yearn for the dazzling sparkle of snowflakes caught in the glow of the streetlights. I miss frosty toes and heavy boots and hand-knit mittens and the smell of wet wool and the sting of chilly cheeks that burn after coming indoors. I would gladly brush snow from windshields and shovel a (short) driveway to earn the right to smell–and eat–cookies fresh from the oven and sit by the fireplace long into the night with a good book or sharing a rich red wine while engaged in great conversation… but–alas–I digress. Christmas, in Chile, is in summer.

Christmas in Santiago (elf Dad)

By now it is clear, you see, that I am certainly not the most objective person in the world to tell about the wonders of Chilean Christmas, but here’s my take on it… as objectively as I am capable.

Chileans celebrate “la Noche Buena” (the Good Night) on the night of the 24^th, which is followed by an almost audible sigh of relief on the morning of the 25^th once it is finally over. It marks the end of a month of way too many activities all jammed together for anyone to really enjoy any of them.

Christmas crowds, cell phones, traffic & elf hats for sale

I never used to be a Scrooge, but even after all these years, I just cannot get used to the idea of Christmas at 90º-plus. I want to wear a big heavy coat while Christmas shopping! But sandals and sundresses are all I can bear these days. Poor Santa (Viejo Pascuero) would love to do the same, although he quietly suffers beneath his heavy red suit and big white beard (an image imported from the north, undoubtedly with much influence from Coca Cola). But I must say I did better this year. Last year my husband threatened to deport me to the North Pole, where I’m sure I would have been happier. But somehow I coped better this year: there was no pouting, no tantrums, and, for the first time in my life, no tree. I cut the fuss to a minimum and let the chips fall where they may-a very useful strategy, I might add…

Christmas street shopping

Aside from my own cultural expectations associated with wintertime traditions, it’s also a matter of just too much going on at once. It’s sad to say, but people in the southern hemisphere get ripped off by having most of the year’s major events all jammed together: it’s the end of the school year (along with exams, graduations, college entrance exams, college applications, all at the same time). It’s the end of the working year, and because it’s summer, vacations are just around the corner (most people take 3 weeks in February). It’s also wedding season. Once we get to March, everyone is exhausted and broke and staring at credit card bills, back-to-school expenses, and mandatory March car registrations, and another 9 long months of work and winter til it all starts all over again!

Christmas sales are brisk on the streets of Santiago

Yes, it’s the Scrooge in me coming out. And there’s more. I think it would be easier to handle if there were more holiday customs and traditions, but there really aren’t many it seems. Traditionally people set up a nativity scene and today many people also have a table top tree in the house (fresh cut trees are forbidden). Sure, there are lights spiraling up palm trees and draping big leafy trees in some sections of town. Some people seem to like playing Secret Santa (don’t get me going on that one!) and there’s Cola de Mono (yummy milk-based punch with a kick) and Pan de Pascua (Christmas bread), of course, but the overall feeling just seems pretty commercial.

Candy Canes in Santiago

Most people work til midday on the 24^th, and then run out to finish their Christmas shopping (see the pictures of Providencia on the afternoon of the 24^th). The traffic jams are phenomenal and you can count on a minimum of 45 minutes at any check-out counter in town (the nice thing is that stores wrap presents for you). Then it’s rush home to gather the family and make the mad dash to the extended family dinner and present-opening ceremony at midnight.

But then, as fast as it started, it’s all over. The 25^th is the day after, much like New Year’s Day… Everything comes to a screeching halt, everyone kicks back a few notches, and Santiago becomes a wonderful place to be until March. (Note to travelers, early January is a good time to come!)

For a more romanticized version of a Chilean Christmas, check out:  http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2008/12/celebrating-the-season-santiag.html

Soon it will be New Year’s Eve, and that’s a whole different story. And even though I want a white Christmas, I really LOVE the green New Year’s… but that’s another tale to tell! (See New Years a la Chilena)