Culture of Chile
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The culture of
The
National identity
The term Chilenidad describes the Chilean National identity.
Hernán Godoy describes the psychological characteristics of the Chilean, and hence part of the Chilean national identity, with following words: roto, madness, sober, serious, prudent, sense of humor, great fear to the ridicule, servile, cruel, and lack of foresight, among other qualities. Jorge Larraín criticized these older descriptions as "overgeneralized abstractions" impossible to apply to a whole nation.[1]
Cultural expressions
Music
The national dance of Chile is the cueca (short for Zamacueca) and first appeared in 1824. Another form of traditional Chilean song, though not a dance, is the tonada. Arising imported by the Spanish colonists, it is distinguished from the cueca by an intermediate melodic section and a more prominent melody. The cueca was promoted by the
In the period from 1930 to 1970, a rebirth in the interest and popularity in
, and others that carried out folk investigation and composed folk music that is still sung up to this day.In the mid-1960s native musical forms were revitalized by the Parra family with the Nueva Canción Chilena, which became associated with political activism and reformers like Chilean socialist Salvador Allende and his Popular Unity government. Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara, Los Jaivas, Inti-Illimani, Illapu and Quilapayún perform of this music. During the military rule in the 1970s, all forms of public expression contrary to the junta were repressed, and protest songs, which were played and circulated in a clandestine manner. In the late 1980s and after the return of democracy in the 1990s, new musical bands like La Ley, Los Tres and Los Prisioneros, began to appear, and the rise of heavy metal and alternative rock there. Even 1970s Chilean rock bands like the Los Ángeles Negros regained popularity across Latin America.
Literature
Chile's most famous contributions to literature have come from Nobel Prize poets Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, whose homes and birthplaces are now museums that attract literary pilgrims to Chile. The majority of Neruda's poetry, as individual books or collections of selected poems, as well as his memoirs, are widely available in English, however Mistral's works are harder to find, though collected editions are available.[2]
Contemporary Chilean authors have earned an international reputation in the literary world. The most famous is novelist Isabel Allende, whose House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, and Eva Luna have all been international bestsellers. She is the niece of president Salvador Allende.[citation needed]
The increasingly popular Luis Sepúlveda wrote stylish short novels like The Old Man Who Read Love Stories, and combined ckckcjd writing with imaginative fiction in Full Circle: a South American Journey.
Arts
Established in 1849, the Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile) has helped foster fine painting and inspire young artists. Roberto Matta, a 20th-century painter, is a world known artist who used abstract and surrealist technique in his work. Carlos Sotomayor (1911–1988) is considered one of the main exponents of cubism from South America. Camilo Mori (1896–1973) was the founder of the Group Montparnasse. Claudio Bravo (1936–2011) was a hyper realist who lived and worked in Morocco since 1972.
Sculpture has also been prominent in Chile's culture. In the 19th century, sculptor
In the field of classical music, the International Society for Chilean Music is a non-profit organization committed to a comprehensive mission of promoting and disseminating the artistic efforts of Chilean musicians, both in Chile and around the world. To this end, they have compiled and disseminated a report published in 2022 (translated the following year), which summarizes their efforts, since its inception, to promote the cause of Chilean music and its exponents, both at Chile and abroad.
Cuisine
Chilean cuisine uses a variety of products due to Chile's location and long coastline.[3] The cuisine arose from the fusion of traditional indigenous ingredients with Spanish culture and traditions. Further European immigration also brought various styles and traditions in cooking were heavily influenced by the Italians and the Germans. In the 20th century, French cuisine marked an important turning point influencing culinary methods and creating a type of Criollo style that has been implemented now in Chilean cooking. British cooking influences include the onces or tea breaks usually taken in the afternoon among Chileans of all classes and backgrounds. Many Chilean recipes are enhanced and accompanied by wine and Chilean pisco, a type of grape brandy produced in Chile, Pisco is also consumed in neighbouring Peru. Throughout Chile each region spanning from north to south contain a variety of culinary recipes special to each location.
Notable Chilean dishes
Television
Television is one of the major mass media of Chile. It was introduced in 1957.
There are 63
Cinema
Domestic film production in Chile is still small but dynamic, it has been steadily growing since 1990 and the country now produces about 20 motion pictures annually. The most important filmmakers include
Chile's small and steadily growing film industry has had some hard time filming compared to countries like the United States. A lot of the most successful films before the 1960s were imported form the U.S., Europe, and other Latin American countries. With Chile's film industry really not having as much funding, technology, and education to keep up with some of the bigger filmmakers.[4] Despite the small start, in the recent years Chile's filming industry continues to grow. In the early 2000s things started to take a better turn for the industry as a whole. With the Universidad de Valparaíso, Universidad de Chile and Universidad Católica offer careers in cinematography, which means the expansion and establishment of formal instruction in this field after 2004. Also after 2004, Chile's film industry stated the use of digital cameras, which lowered the cost of production.[5]
Chilean cinema has won an Academy Award on two occasions,
Sports
Football (soccer)
Skiing
Chile practices a host of sporting events, and because of its geographical location that is situated between the
The main ski centers are located in Central Chile right in the middle of the Andes, at heights that vary from 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) up to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) above sea level. These centers are the ones with the biggest skiing surfaces as well as the best supporting infrastructure.
The centers of Southern Chile are located at lower altitudes and most of them are on volcano slopes. The scenery is notable, including scenic forests and panoramic views.[6]
Surfing
Chile is a great surfing destination, and from the Northern region to the Central region there are many beaches with the right conditions for the sport. It is possible to surf almost all year round except for the middle of the winter (July and August) when weather conditions are non-conducive to surfing. The water temperature fluctuates between 10 °C to 20 °C (50° and 68 °F).
In northern Chile, the waves are smaller, but very forceful, and between Arica and Iquique, tubes are common. The temperature of the water fluctuates between 15 °C to 20 °C (59° and 68 °F). Due to the difficult conditions of the Atacama Desert, there are many unexplored, quiet beaches in that area. In the Central Region, the water is a little bit colder, and there are steeper shores and bigger waves.[6]
Basketball
In addition to football (soccer), basketball is particularly popular in southern Chile, where it as an indoor sport can be played all year round despite Southern Chile's cold and rainy winters. The NCBAOC is the official league. It stands for the National Chile Basketball Association of Chile.
Rodeo
Unlike rodeos in other countries, there is no bull riding or using ropes to tie up cattle. And the idea behind the point system in the game is to get a high number of points. Getting these points takes a high amount of skill. Deductions for faults may included, incorrect maneuvering or the cow escaping.[7] Each pair of Huasos start with 13 points then the deduction system comes into play. Every official rodeo is held over two days, normally Saturdays and Sundays, though occasionally it will be held on Chilean Public holidays.[8]
See also
- Architecture of Chile
- Archaeological sites in Chile
- Arpilleras
- Chamanto
- Chilean American
- Chilean art
- Chilean rock
- History of Chile
- German influence in Chile
- Latin American culture
- Lautaro
- International Society for Chilean Music
References
- ^ Larraín, Jorge. Identidad chilena. 2001. Editorial LOM.
- ^ "Red Poppy: Pablo Neruda. Spreading poetry's potent power. Documentary Pablo Neruda: The Poet's Calling". Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
- ^ Gastronomy, Chile's top traditional foods: a visitor's guide Archived 11 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine 29 July 2009 retrieved 6 August 2013
- ^ La Batalla Del Cine Chileno: Chilean Cinema's History of Resisting Hollywood. scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1171&context=cine.
- ^ A Brief Chronicle of Chilean Cinema (English Version ... revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/brief-chronicle-chilean-cinema-english-version.
- ^ a b "Chile Activities: Skiing". Gochile.cl. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
- ^ Pierce, Lucy. “Why Rodeo Is Possibly Chile's Most Significant National Sport.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 23 Oct. 2017, theculturetrip.com/south-america/chile/articles/why-rodeo-is-possibly-chiles-most-significant-national-sport/.
- ^ “Rodeo.” Rodeos in Chile - Traditional Huaso Sport Photos, www.southamerica.cl/Chile/Sport/Rodeos.htm.