by Eduardo Storch
This time I want to share a sociocultural event that greatly defines the profile of Uruguayans who, unlike what happens with people from many countries, are quite nostalgic.
In this small country with less than 3.5 million inhabitants, more than 600,000 people of all ages usually go out to celebrate the "Night of Nostalgia" every year on August 24.
In 1978, on the eve of the non-working holiday of August 25, the date of the country's Declaration of Independence, a businessman, director and radio DJ organized a party called "Old Music Hits", aimed to remember and dance with the musical hits of past years, which he called "La Noche de la Nostalgia" (The night of Nostalgia)
In this country, with the oldest population in Latin America, where people do not usually dress as colorfully as in other places, and where even the lyrics of tangos are usually sad and sentimental, nostalgia is celebrated, surpassing the movement of the end of the year festivities and, since 2004, even the Ministry of Tourism promotes it as a tourist attraction abroad.
On that date, a large number of parties are organized in discotheques, nightclubs and tents to dance with the music of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and over the years, various businessmen from the entertainment sector, as well as friends or relatives, began to celebrate “nostalgia parties”.
Over time, what was originally only a celebration with "old musical hits", has become an event that ranges from parties for different audiences and dinner shows, being a business opportunity in the field of entertainment, restaurants, nightclubs, security services, transportation, hotels and others. The use of taxis or rental cars increases by 80% compared to normal days.
On that night, the work in women's hairdressers stands out, as well as the sale of women's underwear and other lingerie products, because over time, this festivity has become strikingly eroticized, being this fact the central motive of this story, in which I want to show how the windows of the stores are decorated for that event with special offers for that day's purchases.
The large lingerie houses, whether foreign or national brands, are in the big shopping centers, where taking pictures is not allowed. In any case I have obtained a few, but I have concentrated on the stores distributed in different parts of the city, and has allowed me to stay on the street, which is my environment par excellence.
This year, the celebration was very reduced, due to the fact that the non-working holiday of August 25, was on Friday, and thousands of people traveled to Buenos Aires, due to the tremendous exchange difference with our neighbors.
In any case, many of those who remained here went out to dance and many like to wear costumes. People often drink more than usual, some consume drugs, and despite the warnings from the authorities and the reinforced police controls in the streets and on the roads, some of the festivities at that night turn into tragedies at dawn…
