10 TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF URUGUAY - CULTURE VOCABULARY

Among the most outstanding traditions and customs of Uruguay are the gaucho party, the carnival mate and fried cakes. Uruguay is located in South America and has an area of 176,215 km², which makes it the second smallest country on this continent after Suriname.

Uruguay's cultural heritage comes from Europe. With the arrival of the Spanish in 1516 and the Portuguese in 1680 there was a great transfer of customs and traditions that were mixed with those of the indigenous peoples that inhabited the area at that time.

Similarly, during the 20th century there was a massive migration of European citizens, mostly Spanish and Italian, which meant that more customs and traditions of that continent were adopted and intermingled with those of the area.

The 10 most popular traditions and customs of Uruguay

Carnival

Source: clarin.com

It is a deeply rooted popular celebration that has been celebrated since colonial times and takes place between January and February. It lasts approximately 35 days, making it the longest carnival in the world.

This festival comes from the African and Spanish culture, and begins with a parade that takes place on Avenida 18 de Julio, one of the main streets of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Samba schools, comedians, floats and carnival queens parade on this public thoroughfare, among other striking characters.

The week after the inauguration between the streets of the Sur and Palermo neighborhoods, the so-called Parade of Calls takes place. The candombe is danced there, a dance typical of African culture in which many drums are used; This expression was recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

Tango

Tango in Uruguay has its origin in the city of Montevideo in the second half of the 19th century, when a rural environment of a growing city reigned due to the arrival of many European and African immigrants.

This scenario brought a diversity of rhythms, music, culture, languages and ideologies, and one of the meeting points was precisely the emergence of tango.

Currently, tango as dance, as music and as artistic expression is present in the famous carnival in Uruguay. The orchestras that interpret it are made up of many members and in this celebration dance contests are held; the best dancers obtain different types of awards.

Gaucho party

The Gaucho Party is one of the most traditional celebrations in Uruguay. Source: United States Embassy in Uruguay from Montevideo, Uruguay

This is a recent tradition that has become more deeply rooted in Uruguayan folklore. In 1986, its celebration was made official, which takes place in the city of Tacuarembó, located in the north center of Uruguay and capital of the department that bears his name.

This festival, also known as "Patria gaucha", revolves around the gaucho and his customs, his way of dressing, his food, his music, his work equipment and, in general, his life.

In the celebration this culture is recreated and representations of historical events that are part of the tradition and custom of Uruguay are made.

Beer week

Source: todoelcampo.com.uy

This festival is also called the Beer Festival and has a tradition of more than 50 years. It takes place during the tourism week in Paysandú, one of the most important cities in Uruguay that is located on the border with Argentina.

In its beginnings in 1965 this celebration was much less organized than it is today; today it brings together approximately 100,000 people each year.

The first editions were made in different parts of the city and currently has a space specially built in 1988, located on the banks of the Uruguay River.

In 1997 the amphitheater where regional and local artists perform was inaugurated. During the celebration you can taste typical gastronomy of the country, other than beer and you can visit the Museum of Tradition, where the history of the Beer Festival is exposed.

Olimar Festival

Source: carve850

The Olimar Festival is a celebration that takes place on the banks of the Olimar River, hence its name. The festival lasts 6 days and these coincide with the Christian celebration of Holy Week, which is called Tourism Week.

During that week approximately 30,000 people come to the event to see performances by only national artists.

Attendees enjoy typical Uruguayan cuisine and taste the famous wine with strawberries, typical of the region. Admission is free and some residents make camping in its surroundings to fully enjoy the experience.

Expo Prado (Montevideo)

Source: diffusionempresarial.tv

The International Livestock Exhibition, International Agroindustrial and Commercial Exhibition (known as Expo Prado) is an exhibition in which the country's agricultural products are presented. It is held every year during September at the Prado fair headquarters in the city of Montevideo.

This exhibition seeks the exchange of knowledge, the learning of new technologies, the presentation of new products and the commercialization of purebred cattle for reproduction. Approximately five hundred thousand people attend and national and international lecturers from the agricultural field participate.

The official organizer of this massive exhibition is the Rural Association of Uruguay, a private national non-profit association that was founded in 1871. This association is considered the institution with the longest history in Uruguay in agricultural matters.

Heritage weekend

Source: viveuruguay.com

The heritage weekend takes place in October and during those 2 days all the museums, buildings of government entities and public and private institutions that have historical content and outstanding architecture, open their doors to the public for free for visits.

It is a street party that has been held since 1995, an atmosphere of celebration reigns, there are parades, acts in squares, tours and music. The goal is for people to develop a sense of belonging to their country and thus preserve, care for and make the nation's cultural heritage their own.

Nostalgia night

Source: marcapaisuruguay.gub.uy

The Night of Nostalgia is a party that is celebrated the night before the day of the Declaration of Independence of Uruguay and has a theme that ranges from the 60s to the 90s. On the night of August 24, Uruguayans go out to celebrate wearing allegorical costumes to those years.

This party was born in 1978, when Pablo Lecueder - owner of the Radio station CX 32 Radio Mundo, which broadcast a radio program called Old hits - organized a party on August 24 with the theme of the 60s and 70s. Due to the great reception it had, he patented it.

After that first year, the party was replicated in other discos and it was evolving in terms of the years covered, the music and the form of recreation of the different decades.

With the passing of time some radios were even added, and due to the fame achieved, in 2004 a law was enacted to officially name it as Night of Memories. From then on it has been one of the most popular festivals in the South American country.

Mate

Yerba mate cultivation

In Uruguay, mate or yerba mate is the most consumed drink at the national level, and this country is the world's largest consumer.

For Uruguayans it is a custom that is considered a national identity. It is very common to see people in the subway or on the street with a thermos where they carry the water to prepare the mate, accompanied by the canita or light bulb from which they take the drink.

Yerba mate is an infusion that is prepared with yerba, a word that comes from the Guaraní ethnic group and which means jungle or plant. It is taken from a tree with dull green leaves that can reach five meters in height.

This infusion is also consumed in Argentina and to a lesser extent in Chile. It is prepared inside the mate, a container that can be made of glass, wood or aluminum; the yerba is put there.

The drink has a bitter taste, to drink it a tube that can be made of metal or cane is used, with a hole at one end and a nozzle at the other for sucking.

Fried cakes

Source: soyuruguay.com

Fried cakes are the favorite companion of mate for Uruguayans. They are a dough made with wheat flour, salt and water that is then fried in boiling oil. They are usually eaten throughout the year, especially on rainy days.

Many say that they are not typical of Uruguay, others say that its history dates back to the times when the peasants camped after herding cattle and carried flour and salt in their bags; to these ingredients they added rainwater and made the dough.

The fried cake is a circular dough with a hole in the center. There are those who sprinkle sugar on it or accompany it with sausages, and they can be salty or sweet, it all depends on the taste of the diner. Of course, they are always accompanied with mate.

References

"Heritage Day: diverse and open doors" (S / F) at the Ministry of Tourism, Uruguay Natural. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from the Ministry of Tourism, Uruguay Natural: turismo.gub.uy
"Useful data of Uruguay" (S / F) in Welcome Uruguay. Retrieved on July 2, 2019 from Welcome Uruguay: welcomeuruguay.com
"Commemoration of the Declaration of Candombe as Intangible Heritage of Humanity" (October 2013) at UNESCO. Retrieved on July 2, 2019 from UNESCO: unesco.org
"El Festival del Olimar" (S / F) in Discovering Uruguay. Retrieved on July 2, 2019 from Discovering Uruguay: discoveringouruguay.com
"Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha" (S / F) in Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha. Retrieved on July 2, 2019 from Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha: patriagaucha.com.uy
"Beer Week" (S / N) in Travel to Uruguay. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from Trip to Uruguay: viajeauruguay.com
"Historia Expo Prado" (S / F) at EXPO PRADO 2019. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from EXPO PRADO 2019: expoprado.com
"Night of nostalgia" (S / F) throughout Uruguay. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from all over Uruguay: todouruguay.net
"The mate, heritage of the Guarani Indians" (S / F) throughout Uruguay. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from all over Uruguay: todouruguay.net
"History of Tango" (July 2019) in the Municipality of Montevideo. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from Montevideo City Hall: montevideo.gub.uy
“9 Customs Only Uruguayans Will Understand” (S / F) in Culture Trip. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from Culture Trip: theculturetrip.com

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