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Writer's pictureAndre Casagrande

Peñas Folclóricas: What you need to know


A Chilean folk club is a Chilean social event in which various singers, poets, dance groups and folk orchestras participate that present their works in small venues, before an audience seated at tables lit by candles, where sailing wine and empanadas are frequently consumed. . Sometimes, people from the public are invited to participate spontaneously and improvised with some artistic number. It is generally associated with rebellious movements.


This originates from the word Peñí ​​which means brother, in short, it is like being in a brotherhood.


The clubs are frequently carried out by social, political, union and student organizations to raise funds or to show solidarity with some cause or person. Their existence dates back to the 1950s and 1960s. Formerly, they were better known as chinganas.


One of the best known folk clubs was the Peña de los Parra, which operated during the 1960s and early 1970s in Santiago. There was also another with the same quality and social commitment called the "Peña de Chile laughs and sings", directed by the radio host René Largo Farías.


It is important to talk about the work carried out by the folklore teacher René Sarzosa at the Pedro Aguirre Cerda Experimental School of Popular Culture in the Quinta Normal commune where a chingana was recreated annually with dances and typical outfits of that time.

However, after the coup d'etat of 73, the peñas were considered as taboo, it was so much that all the peñas were led by people from the Chilean left and there songs prohibited by the Chilean Military Regime were performed, which meant a risk to all those who participated there, whether they were the public or the artists.


The peñas represented great support to the institutions of the town since the artists came from there to work in solidarity with the populations. During the 1980s, the devaluation of the Chilean currency was so strong that the popular classes had to resort to the "common pots" that were organized in the different neighborhoods, some of them within the Catholic Church. A common financing activity for these "pots" was the organization of peñas.


The objective for you to attend is interesting since you will learn more about the Chilean culture through the rhythm of the guitars and accordions along with a good cueca, this only accompanied by the huasos that with their accent make the whole public laugh.


Although with the pandemic it is difficult for it to materialize, despite everything, we are in a position for the new tourism to attract (in moderation and with a mobility pass) these events.

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