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Kathleen Butler

Celebrating Chilean Independence Day with Reflection and Tradition This 18th and 19th of September, we’re joining in the fun and festivities for Chilean Independence Day! 🎉 Like many, we’ll be toasting independence with a traditional ‘terremoto’ (which means “earthquake”) – a delicious and refreshing mix of sweet wine and pineapple sorbet. 🍍🍷 But beyond the celebration, this day also invites us to reflect. Where do some of the traditions come from? Independence Day marks freedom from some colonialist powers, but some of the traditions, like ‘cueca’, tell a complex story. The cueca, Chile's national dance, reflects both indigenous and Spanish influences – a blend which can result in some of its indigenous links being lost. In the late 20th century, under the dictatorship, cueca was claimed as a symbol of nationalism and became linked to repression, it was part of an imposed national identity. Later some managed to reclaim it as a dance of resistance. Now, we often see performers dressed as huasos, the Chilean ‘cowboys’ but perhaps it's time to highlight the indigenous roots of many of these traditions; the links the dance has to Peru and Bolivia as well as Spain and the Andaluz traditions. We can honour the cultural diversity that has shaped Chile's history and I can add some of the English awkwardness in attempts to dance it (that comes from the other half of my family). Cheers the coming days of joy, reflection,and appreciation! 🇨🇱✨ #IndependenceDay #Cueca #CulturalHeritage #Terremoto #CelebrateDiversity #El18deSeptiembre

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Kathleen Butler

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