During the ceremony, Honorary Consul Alfredo Fonseca Mihovilović noted that while Croatia has around four million inhabitants, a similar number of people of Croatian origin live abroad as part of the Croatian diaspora.
Punta Arenas, a city of about 145,000 people, became home to many Croatian immigrants from Dalmatia in the second half of the 19th century, when economic hardship, the decline of shipbuilding and vine diseases prompted emigration.
Members of the Croatian volunteer fire brigade, Bomba Croata, raised the Croatian flag in Plaza Croacia, where a sculpture of the Croatian coat of arms also stands. The Croatian national anthem was played during the ceremony.
Founded 124 years ago by Croatian settlers, the brigade still wears green uniforms bearing the Croatian coat of arms.
Statehood Day celebrations were set to continue in the evening with a performance by the Croatian classical music ensemble Trio Kamov from Rijeka at the city theatre.
The office of Punta Arenas Mayor Claudio Radonich, who is of Croatian descent, invited residents to attend what it described as a “concert of the highest quality” by the ensemble, currently on a South American tour.
Croatian communities around the world are marking the anniversary of their homeland’s statehood--a country they or their ancestors were once forced to leave for political or economic reasons.