The town came alive at the arrival of the dieciocho. By 11am the majority of the residents had turned out for the celebrations. Hordes of people gathered on and around the newly erected stands in the main street, which had been closed off to traffic. All ears were focussed on the annual Mayor's speech. The Mayor of Peumo was coming to the end of his term in office, and you could definitely sense his sadness and the passion he possessed for his beloved town. His speech ended on this touch, and a little over the top, piece of advice: "Remember the most important and best thing in the world, our town Peumo!"

My favourite part of the proceedings was after the performance of the very talented professional Cueca dancers. The Mayor and other members of the town council were invited to take to the floor, in a very Strictly Come Dancing-esque way, and joined their professional partner to show of their skills! I can't ever imagine that happening in the UK. Although, come to think of it, I could see Boris Johnson having a bash at Morris dancing, jingly bells round his ankles and all!

Then came the turn of the school children of the town to parade before us in their smart uniforms. My goodness there were a lot of them, especially for such a small town! Each school had flag-bearers carrying their school crest. One pupil carried the flag pole itself and two others took charge of two strings which were attached to each side of the pole. It is a privilege to be elected flag bearer, and this is usually done on the grounds of excellent grades and attendance.

What I found particularly interesting was the school uniforms worn here in Chile. This country is so far from my own, yet their uniforms are practically identical. I have been told that this is due to a period in Chilean history when the school system used the British system as its model. I wonder what other similarities there are between the British system and that of Chile.

Not all children were dressed in uniform, however. Some, especially the youngest generation, were adorned with their national dress. The boys wear the costume associated with "Huasos", the Chilean cowboy, and the girls a coquettish dress, with flowers woven into their braided hair. In this attire they are referred to as "Chinas". Dressing up in this way is traditional when you are young, and Isaac's father showed us pictures of his children doing the very same thing at around 5 years old. You could tell he was very proud of them. An interesting fact about the straw hat the boys wear is that the thinner the plaited strips of straw are that make up the hat, the more expensive it costs. Some of the youngsters walked hand in hand, others rode side-saddle with their fathers. The excitement proved a little too much for this wee one, fast asleep throughout his big moment! (See picture).

An extremely admirable part of the parade came in the form of the men and women that volunteered on a regular basis at the local hospital. The crowd cheered and clapped as they passed, acknowledging and thanking them for the hard work and commitment they showed in helping the community. Recognition was also given to the brave fire fighters and ambulance crew that served the town. I can imagine that they have worked extremely hard over the last couple of years what with 2010 earthquake. I had got a little worried that there had been an accident when I heard the blaring sirens, but all became clear when a cute little fire engine dressed up to the nines in red, white and blue ribbons came crawling round the corner, with the driver bibbing its horn merrily and waving as he passed.

Last but by no means least came the Huasos, the Chilean cowboys crowing loudly in the style of Peter Pan, accompanied by their dog and horse companions. Another item they would never be seen without is their Chicha, an extremely strong drink made of fermented grapes. I have found throughout my short time living in Chile, that the locals are friendly and like to share everything they have. The Huasos are no exception, and they share their Chicha in an interesting way; they fill a large animal horn and pass it round in the crowd until everyone who desires it has had a sip.

As we left the parade at around 1pm it became clear that the Chicha had got to some a bit early as they were having a kip in the local park!