Friday, April 25, 2025

Easter and Kirchnerismo

 Last weekend we celebrated Easter here in Chile, which I thought was worth documenting because of how important it is down here. The boys actually had Good Friday off from school as well as a half day on Holy Thursday. We learned this the hard way, because those dates weren't listed on the school's "No School" calendar. I now realize that the list provided by the school doesn't include ANY public holiday,  only the additional ones taken off by the school. It's lucky I was paying attention to the Whatsapp classroom chats, or else we would have shown up on Friday with lunch boxes in hand. It's a bit of a bummer, because we could have used the long weekend to travel, but as it turned out, the boys and Drew had a nasty virus the week before, high temps, lethargic, and deep coughs for Emerson and Drew. So even if we had a trip planned, we would have been in rough shape. So instead, we stayed close to home and recuperated. 

On the Saturday before Easter, some friends of ours found a craft that was being put on by a local cultural center. It was free, so we decided to go. Turned out it was a huge event, with room for 200 kids.  We got there a half hour early, as the Insta post suggested, and ours were literally the last couple of kids that were admitted. Others got turned away. I found this hilarious because every other event we have been to in Santiago has been a "you're weird if you show up on time" sort of situation. But not this one! We were decorating Easter baskets. Boys had fun. 


Avery and I had our picture taken at the event, and when the photographer asked our name and I said "Kirchner" she thought we were related to the previous President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK). Being down here, this has come up a couple of times now, so I thought I would mention it.

CFK was the First Lady of Argentina when her husband, Nestor Kirchner, was President from 2003-2007. Then she was President immediately after from 2007-2015. And then she was VP from 2019-2023. Between her and her husband, they've branded their ideas as Kirchnerism or "Kirchnerismo" in Spanish. This is the Gemini response to "What is Kirchnerism."

Kirchnerism (Spanish: Kirchnerismo) is an Argentine political movement based on the ideology of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who consecutively served as presidents of Argentina. Here's a breakdown of its key characteristics:

  • Peronist Roots:
    • Kirchnerism is considered a branch of Peronism, a historically significant Argentine political movement. However, it distinguishes itself with its own specific interpretations and policies.   
  • Left-Wing Populism:
    • It's generally categorized as left-wing populism, emphasizing social justice, income redistribution, and a strong role for the state in the economy.
  • Key Policy Areas:
    • Social Programs: Kirchnerism is known for implementing and expanding social welfare programs aimed at reducing poverty and inequality.
    • Human Rights: A strong focus on human rights, particularly concerning the prosecution of those responsible for abuses during Argentina's "Dirty War."
    • Economic Nationalism: Policies that prioritize national economic interests, often involving state intervention and protectionism.
    • Latin American Integration: A tendency to favor close ties with other left-leaning governments in Latin America.
  • Relationship to Peronism:
    • While deriving from Peronism, Kirchnerism has at times clashed with other Peronist factions. It is seen as a reinterpretation of Peronism for the 21st century.
  • Economic Policies:
    • It has been characterized by state intervention in the economy, including nationalizations and price controls.

In essence, Kirchnerism represents a particular brand of Argentine politics that blends Peronist traditions with a contemporary left-wing populist approach. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Kirchner

The theory sounds good, right? But, I believe people have bad feelings about her, as there were alot of corruption scandals during her presidency. When I asked our Spanish tutor about her, he said she was a criminal and completely corrupt. Doesn't sound like actions are aligning with words. And a criminal in office, that could only happen in South America, right? Lol. But funny about the Kirchner connection, huh? The husband, Nestor Kirchner, was born in 1950 in Rio Gallegos, which is a town down in the Argentinian part of Patagonia, and his wiki page says he was a third generation Kirchner living there of German-Swiss descent.  Which would mean his grandfather would have immigrated in likely the late 1800's, early 1900's. Our Kirchner clan immigrated to Detroit in roughly 1925. So, as far as we know, we are not related to each other, but, somewhere farther back in time, it's certainly possible. 

For actual Easter, Chileans are all about the chocolate eggs and bunnies, so that felt very much the same. But I could not find plastic Easter eggs to set up an Easter egg hunt in the house. Not sure if they hide the chocolate eggs straight? But the plastic ones were no where to be found. It also felt strange to be celebrating Easter in the fall. Bunnies and rebirth and falling leaves? No blossoms Everyone in the Southern Hemisphere that celebrates Christian traditions has to acquiesce to Northern Hemisphere norms, and I never realized how weird it must be until now. Granted if that's all you've ever known, I suppose singing "Let It Snow" in the middle of summer still has that warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feeling if it's tied to fond family memories, but still. How do they not feel ripped off? My favorite Easter tradition is making deviled eggs, which was no problem whatsoever. Hooray!






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