August 17 is the anniversary of the death (1850) of Argentina's liberator, Jose de San Martin. Born in 1778 to a Spanish colonial administrator in the Argentine outpost of Yapeyú, Corrientes, San Martín resided only seven years in Argentina before returning with his family to Spain. At the age of 11, he joined the Spanish military where he served with distinction during conflicts in North Africa and Spain and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. (At 11 he was in the military?! I hope Boy is able to make his own lunch by the time he is 11.)
I didn't know about the holiday until we were told the Friday before that the kids school would be closed the following Monday. We looked for a San Martin Day parade or something relevant/semi-educational to do with the kids that day, but could find no information except that banks, schools, stores, and most offices were closed.
A couple of days later, Girl and I went to the playground in Barrancas de Belgrano. In the park, I noticed military police, media trucks, and a military band getting into formation. As I was pushing Girl on a swing, the band started playing very patriotic-sounding music (see national anthem lyrics below). We wandered over, dodging the doggy land mines, to be spectators. The ceremony honored San Martin and was centered around a bust of him, draped in the blue and white Argentine flag. There were several passionate speeches and many regal-sounding songs that were heartily sung by the 200 or so people in attendance.
Girl loved the music and the ceremony. I wished I understood more Spanish. I pretended to sing so as not to offend anyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment