Among all the traditional games and festivals, the rodeo is one of the most exciting, joyful and colorful in Chile. It started many years ago because the farmers needed to arrange their livestock. Each spring the animals are brought down from the hills, where they stay in the winter. This kind of work has to be done by skillful and strong men when they handle the horses and the whip. These men are called huasos. They live mainly on farms and their job is to take animals going around cliffs, crossing rivers, going down and up slopes until they get to the barnyard. During this crossing some cattle get scared and go astray so the huasos have to run quickly after them, intercept them with their lassos and join them back to their group.
The National Rodeo Championship is celebrated in Chile every year. This game has become very famous since skills, physical strength and craftiness are put to the test. Their colorful clothing are usually striped, leather boots, decorated spurs and blankets or very colorful ponchos. The rodeo consistis of basically imitating these farmers´ job: intercept and control the cattle. The horsemen ride in pairs. They take the young bull which will be run to a circular court with big gates that allow going in and out. A cowboy calls out and gets the animal running for an exit of the barnyard. Then, the huasos have to try to intercept it in a specific spot, marked with a flag. The verdict of the jury is very strict. This fiesta atmosphere ends up with music, traditional dancing and of course, con una gastronomía especial típical del lugar.

Vocabulary

Campesinos – farmers
Ganado – livestock
Cerros – hills
Hábil – skillful
Manejo – handling
Pendientes – slopes, inclines
Corral – barnyard
Vacunos – cattle
Espantarse – to get scared
Descarriarse – to go astray
Atajar – to intercept, to stop
Poner a prueba – put to the test
Destreza – skill
Picardía – craftiness
Espuelas – spurs
Jinetes – riders, horsemen
Novillo – young bull
Fallo del jurado – verdict of the jury