Traditions of Asunción
The capital of Paraguay, with bilingual Spanish and Guaraní, the ñandutí lace and the tereré drinking circle.
Asunción is a river capital on the Paraguay, in a country where almost everyone speaks Guaraní as well as Spanish. The Guaraní heritage is deep in the national identity. The ñandutí, a spider-web lace made in Itauguá, the harp and polka paraguaya are national symbols, and tereré, iced yerba mate, is drunk in a circle.
Tereré and San Juan
Friends sit in a circle sharing a guampa, a horn cup, of cold yerba mate, passed by one person called the cebador. On San Juan's night, 24 June, Paraguayans play a game of walking over embers, pira, and a fire game, the Taku Pytã. Caacupé's Virgin is celebrated on 8 December with pilgrims.
At the table
Sopa paraguaya, a cornbread baked with cheese and onions, is the national dish. Chipa, cassava and cheese rolls, and mbejú, cassava pancake, are everyday. Asado, barbecued meat, and soo-yosopy, a meat and rice soup, are family foods. Mate de leche, a morning mate with milk, starts the day.
Signature traditions of Asunción
Also part of it, and being written: Sopa paraguaya (The bread.), Guaraní people (The people.).
A trail idea for Asunción
- Mercado 4 Buy herbs.
- Palacio de López See the palace.
- Itauguá See lace.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ñandutí: Trey Jones, Public domain, source
- Tereré: Genialnico, CC BY-SA 4.0, source