When September 18th rolls around, you better bet that the Chileans are ready to let loose a little. This is by far the biggest holiday of the year, definitely topping even Christmas and New Years. September 18th marks the first official assembly of the Chilean government although if you ask, many citizens think they are celebrating Chilean Independence (which is actually Feb. 12th of 1818). The festivities start the weekend before the 18th. Fondas, which are sort of like fairs, get set up in parks all over town, some of the largest being Parque O’Higgins, Parque Intercomunal, and Parque Ines Suarez, the latter being a more family style event than the former two. People go to these fondas to eat, drink, dance and be merry :)
You’ll see the national dance of Chile, the Cueca, being performed all over the place. These pictures were taken some two and a half years ago, but I can assure that you could still find this same scene anywhere in Santiago today.
To see more pictures and learn more about Chilean fondas and celebrations, keep reading…
While you’re at a Fonda, you will find an array of typical Chilean foods…anticuchos (shishkabobs), choripanes (spicy chorizo sausages in fresh baked bread), pisco sours, and my personal favorites, and dinner today…empanadas de pino (the filling is made with beef, onions and usually has a slice of boiled egg thrown in as well as a black olive and raisin or two) and chicha (made from fermented grapes or apples, it’s VERY sweet):
Today my husband and I visited one of the fondas at the Quinta Normal park. Hilariously, this fonda is named after the original Fonda…Jane! Except they spell it Chilean style, Yein Fonda, which is pronounced Jane Fonda. Gotta love these people :) This year at the Yein Fonda, they have a fabulous array of performers playing. It’s more like an extended three day concert than a typical fonda, but I’m betting it would still be a blast. Cost to enter is $10,000 Chilean pesos (about $20.00 USD).
To get to the Yein Fonda at Parque Quinta Normal, take the subway to metro station Quinta Normal.
