The Day of Naval Glories , a Chilean anniversary that commemorates two battles that occurred on Wednesday, May 21, 1879. That of Iquique, where Captain Arturo Prat died; and Punta Gruesa, where the frigate Independencia was run aground.
Every May 21, naval glories are celebrated with parades and floral offerings, with the epicenter of the ceremonies being the ports of Valparaíso, Talcahuano, and Iquique. A good way to pay tribute to the sea, which is uninterruptedly present in Chile, influencing our culture and idiosyncrasy.
Given the importance of the sea for Chile, it is the same for other cultures and peoples. As for example in Greek and Roman culture, where from their point of view Poseidon , son of Cronus and brother of Zeus, was considered one of the most powerful divinities. Cronus and the other titans had reigned until Zeus started a war against them. After the victory of the young people, the world was divided. Zeus dominated the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea.
Poseidon is the god and sovereign king of the seas, the wrathful Poseidon was feared as "the one who shook the earth." When he got angry, he split the ground with his trident, causing chaotic seas, earthquakes, the steepest tides and storms on the high seas, as well as sinking and shipwrecks. In his benign aspect, Poseidon was conceived of creating new islands and offering calm seas.
Finally, whether through tributes through war milestones or an elaborate belief system. Man honors the sea, which gives him a framework to live, fight, travel, admire, etc. So on this occasion we created our own version of Poseidon, since according to our calculations, he was a spectator of the naval combat on May 21.