Bizarre Chilean Traditions

1. Rodeo

Rodeo is an activity in which calves are chased around in a small round space by horse riders. It’s a typical Chilean “huaso” tradition and it is considered by many as a form of animal abuse. Currently, there is a lot of discussion surrounding this tradition because of its aggressive nature toward another living being that not capable of making decisions and defending itself. Although there are many people who defend this tradition due to its cultural huaso value, most of us believe it’s not right and should be banned and/or punishable by the Law.

2. Minga

Minga is a tradition from Chiloé, in the south of Chile, in which you literally move your house: the owner summons his or her neighbors, family and friends and altogether move the house around the island to change location. We think that although it seems fun, it’s a dangerous tradition because of the damages both the people and the house itself can suffer in the middle of the moving.  There is also animal abuse involved in this activity, since the pulling is mostly done by bulls, horses and such.

3. Mechoneo

Mechoneo is a tradition adopted by Chilean students from traditional universities, originally from the United States. It involves the “welcome” of freshmen students  who are taken by their seniors to get them all messed up. The issue with this tradition is that many people believe that this tradition is humiliating and violates human rights, since it can become very aggressive and even fatal – young students have died in some of the most terrible tests they are put through.

4. Carrera a la chilena

Chilean horse races, also known as “corrida a pelo”, are those in which the horses are ridden without a saddle. The idea is to make the horse run as fast as it can without falling from it. Obviously, this is a very dangerous way to race, since the rider doesn’t have a proper grip of the horse and is very likely to fall from it. Falling from horses can be potentially fatal and, more often than not, crippling.

5. Fiesta del agua

This party from the city of San Felipe is a rather new tradition that involves showering the people in the summer. This activity is meant to create awareness of the excessive spending of water; however, the whole purpose of it contradicts itself in the activity, since the amount of water that is wasted during this party is huge and totally unnecessary.