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.
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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