Yesterday was the first day of Fiestas Patrias, colloquially known as “dieciocho” (“the 18th”). This marks commemorates the start of Chile’s independence from Spain, begun in 1810. The holiday is a big celebration in Chile, and extends between a few days to around a week. It feels somewhat similar to the 4th of July celebrations in the US – there’s lots of grilling, parties, and people-gathering. I suppose the one exception is fireworks: I haven’t seen any organized fireworks displays for dieciocho. One strong component is Chile’s national dance: cueca. Over the past week or so, I have seen many people either dressed in traditional attire or carrying their cueca dresses/suits.

One of the traditional dieciocho activities is to attend fondas. These remind me of county fairs in the US – lots of food, drink, and vendors. Last night, a group of us met to go to the fonda at the Parque Ines de Suárez. We arrived shortly after 1900 and the park was full of families.

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Grilling is an integral part of the celebration and there was no shortage of that here.

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And “terremotos” were in plentiful supply. A terremoto is a classic Chilean dieciocho drink, consisting of white wine, grenadine, and pineapple sorbet. They pack a bit of a punch and have a lot of sugar. Moderation is advised.

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In addition to the large concert stage at the south end of the park, there was a secondary tent with a live band and a dance floor. It was always packed with people of all ages dancing cueca. The most heart-warming part was seeing an elderly lady in a wheelchair being pushed around the dance floor by a younger lady (her granddaughter?), so she could dance cueca.

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The fonda was a lot of fun. Good food, good beer, and lots of music and dancing.