Primavera

Spring, a word that conjours a coil of metal ready to release all of it's energy, is the perfect word for this time of year. The catalyst of the change of general attitude is the national day of Chile, the 18th of September, which sweeps the country in happiness, and drapes her sometimes drab winter buildings with the bold colours of her independence: the white of the fading snow, the blue of her depthless sky, and the red of her soul and the blood of the people. In spring, this blood courses stronger, thicker, among the brotherhood who reside in her body. The women swing their hips a little more provocatively after shedding their winter cocoons of trousers in favour of skirts, and the men vocalise their appreciation with the virile of freshly sexed adolescents. Life is celebrated, as it should be after the darkness of the andean winter, and the good things - family, dancing, conversation, food and drink - are enjoyed. This spirit will be tempered, almost suffocated, in the stifling summer heat, but for now that music continues and the people smile and enjoy.