Paraguay’s Cultural Nuances
Language & Communication
Paraguay’s two official languages are Spanish and Guaraní. Paraguayans are typically expressive, warm and polite people, with less restrictions around personal space than other, more reserved cultures. That said, an indirect communication style is often used to maintain healthy relationships – frankness can often be interpreted as confrontation, which tends to be avoided. So “yes” does not always necessarily mean “yes,” and reading body language is key to discovering your interlocutors true feelings and intentions. For example, maintaining eye contact during a conversation means they are engaged and interested in what you have to say. It can take some getting used to, but the lack of confrontation is a blessing in the long run!
Family & Community
Family plays a central role in Paraguayan culture, and tends to be traditional – with wives typically handling childcare and housework, and husbands occupied with work elsewhere – and protective. Parents keep tabs on when their children leave the house, and where they are going; and most social activities, from vacations to weekend trips, are carried out as a family unit. Teenagers, meanwhile, prefer to spend their weekends in groups, going to parties or the movies, playing sports and hanging out in the country’s many parks.
Extended family households are rare, and only 20% of Paraguayan households (typically among the poorest ones) are female-led. Marriages and consensual unions by choice of the couple are commonplace, while divorces in legal marriages are rare, notwithstanding a regular amount of marital instability.
While nuclear families are the norm, extended family members – including godparents and grandparents – play an important role in Paraguay, and are often called upon to provide support in times of need. Despite primary school being free and compulsory in the country, literacy rates are low among the poorest communities, and children from lower-class households are expected to contribute financially from an early age.
Finally, while gender-based roles have long defined life in Paraguayan society, particularly in rural areas, these differences are gradually disappearing, as a significant percentage of women start to join in the rural and urban workforce – many in skilled labour jobs, as well as government and political roles. The gender gap in pay remains an issue, but is gradually narrowing as well.
Food & Drink
Food plays a huge part in Paraguayan culture – especially street food which is sold by vendors throughout the country’s towns and cities, and consumed in public squares.
Popular local dishes include cassava, sopa Paraguaya (cornbread with cheese, onions and meat), chipa (hard cheese bread), tortillas and empanadas (turnovers containing deep-fried meat or vegetables). Pira caldo (fish soup), milanesa (breaded meat cutlets), soyo (meat soup flavored with spices) and vori vori (soup with cheese, corn flour and cornmeal) are other beloved dishes in Paraguayan cuisine. Popular drinks include tereré and mate, herbal teas which are consumed among friends and family, from a shared guampa, or container made from wood or gourds.
The main meals of the day are lunch and dinner, and breakfast is relatively light in comparison – usually bread with milk, tea or coffee. Meat, corn, rice, potatoes and wheat are major staples, together with seasonal fruit and vegetables. Paraguayan families typically eat their meals together, while extended family members routinely gather for Sunday dinner.
Fashion & Art
Modern clothes are typically worn in Paraguayan cities, but traditional garments are still common in rural areas. Traditional shawls known as rebozos are worn by women over skirts or dresses, as well as garments with Ninduti lacework on special occasions. Bomachas – loose trousers – are worn by men together with a shirt or jacket, or paired with a neck scarf and poncho. Paraguay boasts a rich folk art scene, with traditional art forms including embroidery, clay, ceramics, silver filigree jewellery and spider web-like lace.
Guarania and Paraguayan polka are some of the major components of the country’s traditional music history. The latter genre of music is Czech in origin, and was introduced to Paraguay in 1858. The modern stylings of pop, rock, jazz, reggae, electronic music, blues and more are growing in stature and all have dedicated fanbases in the country.
Oral literature has a proud history, with folk tales and legends passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Written literature was much less widespread for a long time due to widespread poverty, low literacy rates and dictatorial oppression of creative thinkers; however, the country now has an active literary tradition, with most major works written in Spanish. Asunción is home to the country’s largest network of libraries, and the largest collections, at the National Library and National Archive, as well as the private collection at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic University.
Most of Paraguay’s other main cultural institutions can also be found in Asunción: societies concerned with Paraguayan and Guaraní history and culture, other cultural societies and research institutes, the Normal School of Music, the Conservatory of Music, the National Academy of Fine Arts, and the Asunción Symphony Orchestra are among the country’s major arts institutions. Paraguay is also home to a number of excellent museums devoted to ethnography, natural history, and military history, as well as art galleries containing the work of well-known Paraguayan artists like Carlos Colombino and Ricardo Migliorisi.
Customs & Traditions
Religious celebrations are well attended throughout the country, and particularly in rural areas. Thousands visit the city of Caacupé on December 8th to take part in its annual celebration of the festival of the Virgin of Miracles. Similarly, the Feast of St. John (San Juan Ara) is celebrated on June 24th with traditional games, one of which includes walking on hot coals. The country’s Afro-Paraguayan community hosts an annual music and dance festival at Kamba Kua.
On August 1st, it is a tradition throughout the entire country to drink carrulim, a Guaraní drink made of sugarcane syrup, lemon and ruda (a root plant that produces yellow flowers and is traditionally used as medicine) – three ingredients which, according to Guaraní beliefs, drive away evil and protect one’s health. Many Paraguayans believe that not drinking the concoction during the month of August leads to misfortune and bad luck.
We have, of course, only begun to scratch the surface of this country’s rich traditions and cultural nuances – and articles are no substitute for living the Paraguayan experience on a daily basis. If you are interested in learning more, contact the Strategicasa team today for further information!