The date 18 September marks the beginning of Chile's first national government in 1810. The day after - 19 September - is Armed Forces Day, when there is a grand military parade in Santiago. Together they form a four-day long weekend, and many schools celebrate for the entire week before. Streets and buildings are covered in Chilean flags and paper bunting in red, white and blue.
The centrepiece of Fiestas Patrias is the fonda - a temporary outdoor fair set up in parks, community centres and football fields across the country. Fondas have food stalls selling empanadas, anticuchos (grilled skewers of meat), cazuela and fresh chicha (a lightly fermented grape or apple drink children enjoy in its sweet, non-alcoholic form). There are live music stages, craft stalls and cueca competitions.
Flying kites is a September tradition that is particularly loved by children. In the weeks before Fiestas Patrias, kite shops spring up everywhere, selling brightly coloured diamond-shaped kites. Parks on the days around 18 September are full of children running with kite strings, trying to get their kites above the others or even staging kite battles where strings cross and tangle.
Schools across Chile spend the week before Fiestas Patrias with lessons, performances and exhibitions on Chilean history, food, traditional crafts and dance. Many schools hold their own small fondas where children dress in traditional costume, perform cueca for their families and share empanadas they have made in cooking class. It is one of the most anticipated weeks of the school year.