Chilean Roto Day

The Day of the Chilean Roto is a celebration held in Chile every January 20 in the Yungay neighborhood of Santiago. It is held in honor of the "roto", poor Chileans who participated in the United Restoration Army.

By decree of President José Joaquín Prieto, the Yungay neighborhood in Santiago was created on April 5, 1839, named in honor of the site of the Battle of Yungay that gave victory to Chile in the war against the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation.

The first celebration was held a year after the war ended, not only to celebrate the Chilean victory but also the soldiers who participated in it. They are called rotos because they were people of urban and poor origin who had their clothes mostly untorn.

In its first years, the celebrations lasted a month, changing with the passing of time. Since 1889 it has been celebrated on January 20 next to the statue of the Chilean "roto" in Plaza Yungay.

Today this day is celebrated with plays, farming workshops, artisan fair, heritage tours, cueca exhibitions and typical food tasting organized by neighbors and social organizations of the neighborhood.