Some have asked what Christmas would be like for us in Chile. Well . . . we will have no snow, and we haven't yet been caught up in the frenzy that has come to define the holiday, . . . but we are coping quite well! We, of course, will miss our friends, family and traditions that surround the season.
We have noted some things about the Chilean Christmas that you might find of interest though.
We have been told by some locals that Christmas is a very stressful time. We can understand that, because the Chilean experience is very similar to the lunacy that we as North Americans put ourselves through each year. In the southern hemisphere though, there is one more factor to add to the mix. The school year has just ended and so there are preparations, celebrations, graduations and festivities to go along with that.
Santa (Papa Noel) is of course present here. In fact we caught him scrabbling up the side of our building the other day. Unfortunately, he didn't stop at our apartment.
There are many Santa impersonators around and they look very similar to what we see in Canada. I'm not sure why he wouldn't travel with a change of clothes for the warmer climate. That fur trimmed outfit must get awfully warm around the equator. (His and the earth's!)
We recently spent time in Santiago where a friend told us of Santas passing out due to the heat!
Poinsettias are of course a big part of the Canadian experience. Here, Poinsettia trees are quite common.
The flowers aren't as broad as what we are used to in the potted plants. Given the lack of moisture, we are surprised that anything grows here! Since being in Chile, we have seen rain twice. The first time was in Santiago at the end of August and the second was a short shower in Vina in early September. The locals don't expect it to rain now until MAY!! We are led to believe that the vineyards are irrigated using an underground system of water delivery.
There is a stark contrast between Christmas in Vina del Mar and Christmas in Valparaiso.
These are examples of what we have found in our neighborhood. The light displays are very modest but are becoming more plentiful. When we look out over the hills at night, we notice a definite increase in the twinkle factor.
So much of what we think of as North American tradition is evident here. The Spanish radio station that we listen to is playing songs like "Let It Snow" & "Walking In A Winter Wonderland". . . Hmmm. The Christmas trees and decorations are very similar to home. The trees however are ALL artificial. It is illegal to cut live trees for Christmas. Come to think of it . . . maybe that's not such a bad idea!
This is a rather nice home in our neighborhood and a sample of what a Christmas tree is like here.
This is another home in the neighborhood and I shot this for two reasons. First, to demonstrate that no matter how humble the home, Christmas is celebrated (witness the decorations in the window).
And secondly, (and nothing to do with Christmas) to demonstrate the all too common method of roofing in Valparaiso. Corrugated tin held in place with bricks and stones.
If you were living in Valparaiso and wanted to go Christmas shopping, the video below will give you an idea of what the experience could be like.
Plaza O'Higgins on Pedro Montt, in particular, has been overtaken by a maze of small vendors . . . hundreds of them! We are surprised at the lack of variety between vendors. Many have exactly the same items (this is also the case at the summer markets). It is also very common to see the American flag in Chile.
There are also hundreds of vendors set up along the street. This is always the case, but the numbers have increased as the Christmas season approaches. I only walked for about a half block for this shot, but the entrepreneurs lined block after block after block. Strangely, socks seem to be a very popular item!
Christmas in Vina del Mar, however, is a different story. This is the exterior of a fully modern, three level shopping centre complete with giant retail anchors (Ripley and Paris) and a multi- screen cinema. The mall is known as "Lider Mall".
The Lider Mall could be dropped into any North American city and no one would think it was out of place.
The street vendors across the road serve to remind us that we are still in Chile after all!
As much as we have tried to pretend that Christmas isn't happening, it is impossible! The signs are everywhere! Notice the decoration at the front of this bus. I took this shot on our way to a Christmas concert.
As a side note, we should perhaps put together a blog of how the bus drivers pimp their rides! It would seem that they are free to customize their space as they see fit. We've seen tributes to everything and everyone from Winnie the Pooh to Jimi Hendrix!
The English carol service that we attended was held at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Vaparaiso (Cerro Conception). We have talked about this church in a previous blog - "More Valparaiso . . . and for good reason : October 19". It seemed VERY strange to be heading off to a Christmas concert in full sun at 7:00pm & + 25 weather! The concert was based on the traditional "Nine Lessons With Carols" service held every year in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. The choirs from three of the British schools in the area performed some traditional carols. You will recognize the tune in the following video as Silent Night. The carol was performed in Spanish, and by reading along with the program, we realized that the lyrics were quite different from the English version. For example, the first verse goes something like this:
Night of peace, night of love,
Everything is quiet for the night
Everyone is only watching the face
of the sleeping child in angelic peace
Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem
and now in Spanish.....
Noche de paz, noche de amor,
todo duerme en derredor
Solo velan mirando la faz
de su nino en angelica paz
Jose y Maria en Belen
And this favorite with the congregation participating.
We hope that we have shed some light the Christmas season in our little corner of Chile.
We will be with friends in Concon (20 minutes up the coast by bus) on Christmas day and then hosting them in our apartment on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks show in the harbor. We had read about the fireworks (fuego artificial) even before coming to Chile and have been told that they are quite spectacular.
Wherever you are, and whomever you are with, we wish you a joyous and safe season.
Merry Christmas,
Joyeux Noel,
Feliz Navidad,
And just one more thing . . . we talked earlier about the lack of moisture. Clearly, some things do very well. Bougainvilleas are plentiful in this area. Their colour and fullness is spectacular!
Love,
Norm and Charlene
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