Traditions of Santiago
The capital of Chile, with Fiestas Patrias, empanadas, cueca dancing and the wine harvest nearby.
Santiago lies in a valley between the Andes and the coastal range, in a country that stretches along the Pacific. The Fiestas Patrias, on 18 and 19 September, bring picnics, kites, and fondas, open-air tents, where people dance the cueca, the national dance of handkerchiefs and courting.
Fiestas Patrias and the cueca
In the fondas, families eat empanadas and anticuchos and drink chicha and terremoto, a wine and ice cream cocktail. The cueca is danced by couples with handkerchiefs and a rooster-hen courtship. The huaso, a rural horseman in a poncho and flat hat, is honoured, and rodeos are held, a national sport.
At the table
Pastel de choclo, a corn pie with beef, empanadas de pino, completo, a hot dog with avocado, and curanto, a seafood feast of the south, are favourites. Pisco sour and wines from the Maipo valley are poured. Sopaipillas are fried pumpkin dough. Pan amasado is home-baked.
Signature traditions of Santiago
Also part of it, and being written: Pastel de choclo (The pie.), Empanada (The pastry.), Huaso (The horseman.).
A trail idea for Santiago
- Mercado Central Eat seafood.
- La Vega Buy produce.
- Cerro Santa Lucía See the view.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Fiestas Patrias: Osmar Valdebenito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cueca: Manuel Antonio Caro, Public domain, source