¡Feliz cumple Argentina!

Argentines love holidays. Tuesday, May 24th was el Bicentenario, or the 200th anniversary of the revolution that terminated Spanish rule over Argentina. (They also celebrate July 9th, which is their actual independence day. Like I said, they like their holidays). Since 24 de mayo fell on a Tuesday, President Cristina Kirchner decided that Monday may as well be converted into a national holiday as well. Actually, the entire week preceding the 24th was basically a massive celebration: Avenida 9 de Julio, the landmark avenue in Buenos Aires spanning 12 lanes across, was transformed into the setting for the party, and the Obelisk, its epicenter.



I think I now know why the many of the government-run buildings in Buenos Aires, such as the universities, are not in the greatest condition: the government had been saving up all its money to spend on el Bicentenario. 9 de Julio was spectacular, flaunting multiple stages, huge screens, flashing lights, and a large exhibition for each of Argentina’s 27 provinces. Each day thousands of people flocked to the city’s center to partake in the festivities.





In honor of Argentina’s birthday, the Argentine World Cup team played a game against the Canadian team. I headed to the stadium with two of my friends and the rest of Buenos Aires to watch Argentina crush Canada 4 to 0. Before the game even started they shot out and covered the field in little pieces of blue and white paper. It was pretty amusing watching the team of guys with leaf blowers running around trying to clear the field, fruitlessly fighting the wind. The game began an hour and a half late (in true Argentine style), with the field still partially covered in tissue paper. We were sitting right behind one of the goals, and got a good view of the team and their famous coach Maradona each time they went on and off of the field. After the game, there was a huge firework show, singing and lots of joy.







On Tuesday, the day of el Bicentenario, I went to the highly anticipated parade, where Argentina really whipped out the big guns. It was as if the government was saying: Alright, maybe our political history is a little shaky, and perhaps our economy is not what you might call stable. But that's besides the point, because we can throw a better party than any other country in the world. And I would have to agree. It was an incredible parade, and so many people came out to see it and to celebrate that you could hardly walk down the street. The parade consisted of 16 floats, each representing a different chapter of Argentina’s history. They were huge, ostentatious, and very impressive.

There was fire:



There was snow:



There were flying cars, flying people…



A full-size charter boat and a crane dangling an enormous, flaming constitution (which was lit, metaphorically, by the military dictatorship):





My favorite float was the one representing the economic crisis of 2001: there was a group of about ten people suspended in the air, flying around and fighting over money. The entire parade (and 200 years of history!) took over three hours, mainly because the unruly crowd kept rushing into the street and blocking the floats. I headed home down 9 de Julio that night, covered in water and soap (no idea), reaffirmed in my belief that Argentines know how to how a good time. I wouldn't be surprised if they have already started planning the Tricentenario :)