Chilean food, folklore and idiosyncrasy are just some of the traditions with which Chileans abroad keep their national identity and culture alive.
September is the month of Chileanness, and while Chile becomes the main stage for the festivities, it is not the only place where it is celebrated. From countries like Panama, Germany, South Korea, Mexico and Portugal, Chilean men and women share how they celebrate September 18 and the traditions they keep.
Thousands of kilometers away, the country's culinary traditions act as a bridge for Chileans living abroad, being the essence of celebrations beyond our borders. "Sopaipillas, cazuela, calzones rotos, a little bit of food transports me to Chile," says Alexander Cornejo, from Porto, Portugal. "What do I miss about Chile? The empanadas, the Chilean bread, oh! Chilean bread is unique," says Davis Espíndola, from Lisbon, Portugal. Rodrigo Mas, who has lived in Mexico for 22 years, especially remembers Chilean wine: "I have always remembered my beloved land with the red wines, very good", he says.
Dancing cueca and "tirar la talla".
But it is not only through food that the country makes itself present to the community abroad. Chilean folklore and sense of humor also allow us to bring closer that country that is missed or "make a small Chile in our environment", as Pamela Bravo, who has been in New York for more than 30 years, mentions.
"I brought with me the folklore, our national dance, where here I do it in a folkloric group called Raíces de Chile. I have been participating for some time now, where I do cueca, and our roots remain and we continue to spread them around the world," says Salvador Ramirez, who has been living abroad for eight years between Germany and Spain, originally from the fifth region.
Lucía Zárate, a 15-year resident of Frankfurt and originally from the Biobío region, also belongs to a folkloric group. "This is how we continue to share and show our culture in this city," she says.
For painter Francisco Badilla, who lives in Portugal, the humor and idiosyncrasy is something he misses: "The enjoyment, like the Chilean sense of humor, for example, is different here". From Panama, Patricio Azócar, also remembers the Chilean humor: "We get together early in the morning to shoot the size and talk. You miss being with a group of friends, around a barbecue, sharing," he says.
And just as for some it is the food and for others the folklore and the Chilean way of being that allows them to get closer to Chile, for these national holidays each one of them will be looking for those pieces of the country that they still keep close to them.
"Even though we are 15,000 kilometers away, Chile is in our hearts," says Lucía Zárate, from Germany.
To read these and other testimonials from Chileans around the world, click here:
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