Chilean Independence Day

On September 18, the entire country pretty much shuts down for a week or so come mid-September. Independence Day is on the 18^th and the 19^th is also a legal holiday in honor of the military.

The first signs of National Pride Frenzy begin to appear in early September when all the flag-colored red-white-and-blue decorations go up. Store workers begin to wear their September uniforms and dress up as huasos and huasas. School children practice their traditional dances and shop windows fill up with traditional little flowered huasita dresses for the girls and little black suits and chupaya hats for the boys. Most people hang the flag from their home. Flag display was mandatory during the military years and therefore fell out of favor for many years.

The weekend before the 18^th kicks off the fonda season, during which the parks fill up with stands offering games, pony rides, music, dance, and plenty of traditional foods: empanadas, skewered meats (anticuchos), and choripanes (chorizo sausage sandwiches) and drinks, particularly chicha (a very sweet partially fermented grape juice which is almost-wine).

Overall production slows visibly the following Monday and declines steadily as the week wears on and the anticipation of the festivities gear up.

Fiestas Patrias is a celebration of family, friends, food, and tradition as much as it is about national pride. It is also a celebration of spring, and the newly blue skies fill with kites, the backyard grills fire up, and the patio furniture gets dusted off.

          Reading activities

           Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

1. What was the text about?

______________________________________________________________________

2. Which was the main idea of the author?

_______________________________________________

      Write true or false (T/F)

_____ Fiestas Patrias is a celebration that takes place in autumn

_____ Chicha is a very sweet drink

_____ The first signs of National Pride Frenzy begin to appear in later September

_____ Just a few people hang the flag from their home.

_____ 19^th is a legal holiday in honor of the military.

    Choose the correct answer

1. What kind of text is it?

a)      An article                               b) a biography                        c) a short story

2. The text tells us about…

a)      Chilean national dance           b) Chilean history       c) Chilean independence day.

3. When does this celebration happen?

a)       October                                 b)  September                         c) July

4. Where do people go the weekend before the 18^th?

a)       A Fonda                                b) A friend`s house                c) A  Park

5. Which kind of food do people eat?

      a)   Barbecue                               b) Pizza                                  c) Fish.