Noche en Vela: celebrating democracy

After a difficult decision not to go on any trips this weekend, I was delighted to find out how many cultural events were going on to celebrate Memorial Day.  It is one of the most important, if not the most important holidays of the year in Argentina.

It commemorates the day when democracy returned to Argentina after the military takeover.  During the seven years of the dictatorship, known as the Dirty War, 30 thousand people disappeared.  The military called for a state of emergency whenever it wanted, so people could rarely leave their home or be in the streets.  Also during this time was the Falklands War against England.  Due to the hatred against England, anything English was banned: books, music, movies, even the language.  When Argentina played England in soccer, the announcers could only say "the other team."  This is obviously a VERY short summary, but it's fascinating, and I encourage you all to learn more about this tragedy.

Many children disappeared during the Dirty War.  This picture satirizes it.

Anyways, Noche en Vela is the exact opposite.  There wasn't much talk of the Dirty War or "los desaparecidos" (the disappeared), but it was a celebration of all the things they weren't allowed to do during the dictatorship.  Thousands of people filled the streets from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to listen to music, dance, sing, shop, whatever your heart desired.  Libraries were open 24 hours to promote freedom of speech and press.  Theater acts were performed everywhere.  Over 100 free activities took place throughout the entire city of Buenos Aires.

There were three main routes.  We took the Center route in the heart of the city.  The evening started by honoring Earth Hour/Hora del Planeta, an hour where major cities around the world turn off the lights on monuments and government buildings to save energy and raise awareness about conserving the planet.  It was kicked off by a concert by Elena Rogers, who had a beautiful voice.  Next up was Taiko, traditional Japanese drum performers.  Too bad the lights were off and we couldn't see them! These events took place at the Obelisk, the monument that marks the exact center of Buenos Aires.

After Taiko, we headed back down to Plaza de Mayo where we got to watch live tango performances in the lit windows and balconies of the House of Culture/ Casa de la Cultura.  It reminded me of Living Windows.  It was kind of hard to see because they were so high up, but there was a singer in one window, instrumentalists in another, and dancers in another.  Each was lit a different color.


My absolute favorite part of the night was watching La Clave, a group of Carnival street performers from Uruguay.  I didn't miss out on Carnival after all!  10-15 men wore outrageous costumes, singing and dancing while telling a very political story.  Their singing was phenomenal.  It was mostly a capella, accompanied only by drums and symbols.  Super-talented guys.

The rest of the night was 6 hours of walking and stopping at different activities.  We danced in the streets  to a DJ and joined a soul train.  We watched hundreds of people dance tango in the streets to a live performer.  We watched a jazz concert through the window of a bar because the bar was too full.

When we were almost too tired to walk, we returned the North side (by our house).  Plaza Francia, the park by our house, was described in the program as being lit by hundreds of different colored lights.  Really, it was an exhibit with this lit balloon bulbs that changed colors.

Our last stop was the Recoleta Cemetery where a projector showed 3D images of the inside of the cemetery.  The scary gatekeeper toured you through the hallowed halls to make stops at different mausoleums.  We didn't stay long, but we saw the ghost of a woman visiting her grave before she laid down and returned to stone.  Except the gatekeeper found her scarf. Ooooooh, spoooooky.

Overall, it was a super fun night.  I felt honored to take part in such a cultural and important celebration.  I think it was a much better tribute to freedom than our fireworks.  Don't get me wrong.  I love Memorial Day and 4th of July, bbqs, and fireworks, but how often to we stop to remember the hard work and suffering it took to get there.  I know I will come back with a much greater reverence for those holidays.