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Bicentenary of Chile Independence:
Naval parade closes celebrations
Chile: Chile closed the four days of celebrations for the Bicentenary
of Independence with a naval parade in the region Valparaiso which
included national and foreign warships.
Chilean President Sebastian Pińera Thursday night opened the
celebration at the traditional site at O’Higgins Park which hosts
festivals and celebrations regularly.
Among the major attractions was the magnificent light show of the
French company “Petit France”, which under the slogan “Pure Energy, Pure
Chile” was shown on consecutive days at the outside of the Palacio de la
Moneda with a daily capacity of 60 thousand spectators.
The hoisting of a giant flag, 18 by 27 meters, in the famous Alameda
de Santiago and a cultural show involving more than 600 artists were
other proposals of the official program for the celebration.
Social and student organizations were involved in the so-called
“Bicentenario Ciudadano Popular” (People’s Bicentennial Citizen) that
included recreational activities and opportunities for reflection on the
meaning of the historic date.
Nearly eight thousand soldiers of the Armed Forces of Chile and
foreign delegations invited to the occasion attended on Sunday the Grand
Military Parade in honour of the Dia de las Glorias del Ejercito.
Latin American presidents Cristina Fernandez (Argentina), Evo Morales
(Bolivia) and Fernando Lugo (Paraguay) accompanied the Chilean President
in the major celebrations.
One of the moments of greatest political impact in the celebrations
was the homily of the Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Cardinal Javier
Errazuriz who during the traditional Ecumenical Te Deum, referred to the
Mapuche prisoners on hunger strike. Santiago de Chile, Prensa Latina |
