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Chile: National Holiday
English has borrowed the word fiesta from Spanish, since there is no
English word to describe festivities such as those which began in Chile on
the national holiday, September 18, and continued for weeks. The hero of
Chilean independence was General O'Higgins, and in Santiago the main
celebration was held in O'Higgins Park. While President Eduardo Frei and a
host of dignitaries ate elegantly in a tent at one end of the park, the
people rejoiced in a simpler way outside. Some women danced incongruously
in hulas. Up the coast in Peru and Ecuador, the mobs rioted and looted.
Rejoicing and rioting may both be expressions of hidden boredom or despair;
perhaps there is a class difference.
Ronald Hilton 10-02-98
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