To Celebrate or Not to Celebrate? The Organization of the Official Celebrations for the Centenary of Chilean Independence, 1904-1910

Abstract

This article analyses the organization of the official celebration of the national centenary of independence on the part of the Chilean State, which took place between 1904 and 1910. Through the revision and analysis of parliamentary discussions and the laws and public decrees enacted in Chile during this period, we can conclude that the possibility of actually celebrating the Centennial was not a given. On the contrary, it arises during a particular time, in the first years of the twentieth century and as a response to the national elite's interest and expectations. In the context of a parliamentary regime, the Chilean Centennial's official celebration depended almost exclusively on the initiative and will of the members of the National Congress.