The title of this article is an interesting one and is owed to the fact that throughout the whole of my time spent in Chile, this was the one day where nothing seemed to matter (apart from that of Chile’s victory against Argentina in the Copa América).
If you read my last article, it is clear that Chile is a country which is deeply riddled with fundamental problems rooted in an extensively outdated neoliberal economic system dating back to the Pinochet dictatorship. The fact is that over 20 years since the end of that era, Chile still finds itself as one of the most unequal countries; faced with a monumental wage gap and a constant trampling of the constitution by the elite which goes unpunished; the city of Santiago has transformed into a war-zone, and rightly so, with it being weird to see the main road, the Alameda, unoccupied by protesters on a normal day.
While marches and clashes between the Carabinero police force and protesters is a common sight, usually extending over themes such as education and human rights, what seems absolutely incredible to me as how on this one day, September 18th, all these issues do not seem to matter. This is a big deal.
September 18th is a very renowned date in Chile. Whilst many think that the date commemorates the day Chile gained independence from the Spanish Empire, it is actually the date that Chile formed its first governing body, the Government Assembly of the Kingdom of Chile (also known as the First Government Junta). Chile finally gained its independence after nearly 10 years of war, on February 12th 1818, when a Chilean declaration of independence was officially issued. However, the war did not end until 1826 officially, when the last Spanish troops left the newly established country.
Fiestas Patrias
The celebrations carried out on the 18th are called the Fiestas Patrias, literally meaning Patriotic Festivities. The independence celebrations, however, actually take place over a few days, potentially a week if the 18th falls on a Wednesday.
During my experience, the 18th was on a Friday. This meant that the preceding Wednesday and Thursday were given as public holidays and so the universities were closed and the town centre was flooded.
It is not until the 18th that celebrations officially begin. Clubs and bars may have themed nights, and families may have their own personal celebrations in the days leading up to then, but the Friday was when it all kicked off.
My September 18th
For weeks, my Chilean friends had been telling me all about the Fondas. Literally every park is taken up on this all important day to give way to the Fondas.
They are the equivalent of a school fete, but on a much larger scale. The parks are flooded with stalls selling products ranging as wide as chocolate, artesanal clothing made from distinct and rarer materials, or even alcohol. In fact, one of the alcohol stalls even sold tickets to take part in a mechanical bull competition.
On top of this, there were several good quality restaurants selling Chilean food, although sadly this just means American hot dogs with avocado and greasy burgers, with the occasional restaurant selling a delicious Chilean pastel de choclo (sweet corn pie).
Certain companies, or even institutions will come to give exhibitions at the parks. The Carabineros actually use them as an attempt to recruit new members, drawing them in by showing them vehicles with attached turret guns and tanks. I could not resist but pretend I was Chilean just to get a picture on top of one of these turret cars.
If you read my last article, it is clear that Chile is a country which is deeply riddled with fundamental problems rooted in an extensively outdated neoliberal economic system dating back to the Pinochet dictatorship. The fact is that over 20 years since the end of that era, Chile still finds itself as one of the most unequal countries; faced with a monumental wage gap and a constant trampling of the constitution by the elite which goes unpunished; the city of Santiago has transformed into a war-zone, and rightly so, with it being weird to see the main road, the Alameda, unoccupied by protesters on a normal day.
While marches and clashes between the Carabinero police force and protesters is a common sight, usually extending over themes such as education and human rights, what seems absolutely incredible to me as how on this one day, September 18th, all these issues do not seem to matter. This is a big deal.
September 18th is a very renowned date in Chile. Whilst many think that the date commemorates the day Chile gained independence from the Spanish Empire, it is actually the date that Chile formed its first governing body, the Government Assembly of the Kingdom of Chile (also known as the First Government Junta). Chile finally gained its independence after nearly 10 years of war, on February 12th 1818, when a Chilean declaration of independence was officially issued. However, the war did not end until 1826 officially, when the last Spanish troops left the newly established country.
Fiestas Patrias
The celebrations carried out on the 18th are called the Fiestas Patrias, literally meaning Patriotic Festivities. The independence celebrations, however, actually take place over a few days, potentially a week if the 18th falls on a Wednesday.
During my experience, the 18th was on a Friday. This meant that the preceding Wednesday and Thursday were given as public holidays and so the universities were closed and the town centre was flooded.
It is not until the 18th that celebrations officially begin. Clubs and bars may have themed nights, and families may have their own personal celebrations in the days leading up to then, but the Friday was when it all kicked off.
My September 18th
For weeks, my Chilean friends had been telling me all about the Fondas. Literally every park is taken up on this all important day to give way to the Fondas.
They are the equivalent of a school fete, but on a much larger scale. The parks are flooded with stalls selling products ranging as wide as chocolate, artesanal clothing made from distinct and rarer materials, or even alcohol. In fact, one of the alcohol stalls even sold tickets to take part in a mechanical bull competition.
On top of this, there were several good quality restaurants selling Chilean food, although sadly this just means American hot dogs with avocado and greasy burgers, with the occasional restaurant selling a delicious Chilean pastel de choclo (sweet corn pie).
Certain companies, or even institutions will come to give exhibitions at the parks. The Carabineros actually use them as an attempt to recruit new members, drawing them in by showing them vehicles with attached turret guns and tanks. I could not resist but pretend I was Chilean just to get a picture on top of one of these turret cars.
I went to the Parque Intercomunal in a district called La Reina. On top of all the attractions I previously mentioned, in the centre of the park was a giant bull ring, and on this day I ended up seeing my first rodeo, an experience which I never want to repeat again.
I do not want to write about the details. While I respect the sport as a cultural tradition, I can in no way support it, and I was actually shocked to see so many families bring their small children to see it as if it were an important experience to have. The scenes were graphic and I left before I could see the very end.
A Ghost Town - Where Are All the People?
Once the fondas finish up for the day, the majority of people head off to an asado to celebrate in smaller groups of friends. For me and my Guatemalan friend, this was an option, but neither of us had any energy left so we came up with a foolproof plan to make the most of the evening - get on the metro, go to Papa Johns for an XXL meat feast pizza (quite cultural given how Chilean food is basically fried meats), go to the local botellería near our home (the equivalent of an off-licence liquor store), get some beers and crisps and finally, go back to the house and watch some movies.
Good plan, right? And not a bad way to celebrate. However, what we did not realise was how ridiculously absurd and naive this plan would actually prove to be. We got on the metro fine and arrived at the station nearest the Papa Johns at what was roughly 6pm, but to our horror, emerging from the station we found the restaurant to be closed, as well as the one next to it, and the one next to that, and so on. In fact, there was not a soul and barely even a car on what is usually a very busy road passing by a mall, a cinema and several other metro stations.
It was crazy, 6pm on a Friday and everything is closed. We were confused so given how we lived in the area, we knew several other restaurants which we thought we would try out. The sandwich bar, closed. The burger place, closed. The other pizza place, closed. The food court, closed. The local supermarket, closed. You get the idea.
After what must have been an hour, although what seemed at the time to be several more given our crippling hunger and the intense heat, our salvation came, in the form of a little girl who must have been about 8 years old. We were walking on a residential street when we came across her. She was sitting at a small and rather rickety wooden table in her front garden, with a sign on the front saying “Empanadas de Queso - $0,800”, a sign which has made an imprint on my mind. It was our only option. 4 large cheese empanadas later and a nice conversation with the girls parents while we waited, and we were on our way.
We asked the father, where is everyone? The answer was simple, in their asados. We realised they were popular, but not that it was literally what every single person in the city, with family or close friends, would be doing. Maybe we should have gone to the one we had been invited too, but then we would never have experienced this ghost town.
One of the busiest, if not the busiest city in South America was left as isolated. The streets were so deserted that we could play music from our phones and sing at the top of our lungs without anyone bothering to look twice. My mood could be compared to the mood everybody feels when they are left home alone and feel like a king. We sing, we dance and in some cases, confidently trot about in our birthday suits (although maybe that would have been a bit extreme in this case).
The night ended as we drank our beers, ate our empanadas and briefly fell asleep on the sofas as the heat overcame us.