19 TYPICAL ARGENTINE CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The customs and traditions of Argentines are part of a group of uses, customs, behaviors and objects that make up the national culture. Mostly with a rural origin.

From the countryside came the main cultural guidelines of a country marked by immigration throughout its history but which always maintained its own identity sustained in its customs.

There is a day in Argentina to celebrate its traditions. It is November 10 of each year, the date on which the birth of the Argentine poet José Hernández, writer of Martín Fierro, one of the reference works on national customs, is commemorated.

Although it is a gaucho celebration, it is the moment chosen to pay homage to the national tradition in any of its forms.

There is a vast number of typical customs in Argentina, which vary according to each region and dominant culture, although the majority share gaucho and peasant traits.

List of typical Argentine customs and traditions

Mate

This typical South American drink consists of an infusion with a bitter taste based on yerba and hot water, which is taken in a gourd with a light bulb.

In Argentina there is no hour to drink mate, it can be an option for breakfasts and snacks, a companion for other times of the day and a possibility to mitigate the wait before meals. According to the latest records, 98% of the population claimed to drink mate.

The roast

It is undoubtedly one of the typical foods of Argentina. The extensive number of fields for the production of livestock, makes the country have ideal meats for consumption.

This way of cooking beef, placing it on a grill over burning embers, is one of the Argentine traditions par excellence. The cooking method varies depending on the grill and cut of meat.

Dressage

This sporting practice is one of the most traditional in Argentina, there are numerous popular festivals where the gauchos test their skills to control raging animals.

In its professional version, dressage is considered an Olympic sport, but they are not comparable, since in Argentine fields it is a long-standing tradition, in which man and animal have a kind of confrontation.

The empanadas

It is another of the typical dishes of this South American country. There are all kinds of versions of empanadas, not only because of their preparation and recipe but also because of the great variety of tastes.

The most traditional are the Creole empanadas, which are invited on national holidays and consist of a dough filled with minced meat, onion, olives, egg and seasoning. Although the recipe varies by region.

The payada

Source: Elpayadorargentino / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The payada is the musical art of improvisation accompanied by a guitar, which in Argentina is a typical gaucho tradition.

In their celebrations, the payadores enliven the evenings with long hours of recitation, in which they relate current situations, the people who accompany them and other traditions.

In fact, the Martín Fierro, by José Hernández, gives an account of this activity in different parts, marking it as one of the favorite activities of the gauchos in their leisure time.

The ring game

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This game of European origin is one of the classics of Argentine gaucho celebrations since the origins of the nation.

The ring run is an activity for riders who, mounted on horses and at trotting speed, must be able to remove a hoop, hanging two or three meters high, with a toothpick.

Tradition indicates that if the gaucho obtains the ring, he must give it to the woman of his choice.

The tango

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It is one of the typical dances of Argentina, mainly from the Río de la Plata area, where the City of Buenos Aires, Federal Capital of the Nation, is located.

With suburban origins, this musical genre and its dance is one of the Argentine traditions. Her gala dresses, her compasses and her steps are celebrated in every corner of the country.

Folklore

Dance the cueca. Source: Osmar Valdebenito / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

It is the typical music of Argentina and has a large number of subgenres that represent the different regions of the country.

Its melodies and dances are one of the most widespread gaucho traditions, depending on the celebrations the types of dances that take place may vary. Some examples are: carnavalito, zamba, cueca, chacarera, pericón, gato, malambo, etc.

For their interpretation, the men wear gaucho costumes, with country breeches, boots, hat and shirt, while the women wear a dress and a scarf.

The error

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Although it is an activity with ancestral origins in Egypt, in Argentina it became a national tradition.

La yerra is the moment of meeting between the hacienda owners, the other workers and curious neighbors who look at the cattle.

In addition to the marking and vaccination work, there is a celebration with typical food and dances, and a show of gaucho skills.

Football

The national sport in Argentina is duck, an activity similar to polo but played with a ball with handles that is carried with the hands.

However, the most popular is soccer. Country of origin of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, this activity is practiced in all corners of the country, at all times, with protagonists of all ages.

In this sport all the strata merge to share a match that can take place on any field, be it a street, a park or a soccer field.

On the weekend it is a tradition that millions of Argentines dedicate hours to see their favorite club, but also to participate in amateur competitions.

The alfajores

This exquisite traditional Argentine sweet of Andalusian origin was brought to Argentina by the Spanish conquerors during the Colony.

The Argentine alfajor consists of two round cookies made with wheat flour and butter, filled with dulce de leche, fruits and other ingredients. They are sometimes dipped in chocolate and glazed with powdered sugar and coconut.

The Malambo

Malambo Champion, 2011. Source: Pore1991 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

The malambo dance consists of a zapateado dance in which the performer performs a series of movements with the feet called mudanzas. The stomping can be complemented by movements of the arms and hands, but it is basically done with the feet.

Although it is danced without a partner, counterpoints are performed by zapateadores. Groups of three or more performers perform, each one at a time, different moves and the one who stands out the most for their stomping skills wins.

This variant of malambo is typical of the Pampa and the provinces of Tucumán and Santiago del Estero. In the Pampa in the past people danced with knives tied to each leg, which produced rhythmic blows.

The carnival

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This ancient and joyful dance is typical of the indigenous peoples of the Argentine Altiplano, which is performed with musical instruments from that region, such as sikus, quenas and charangos. It is danced at any time of the year.

It is a collective dance that is performed in rounds by men and women indistinctly, like other ancestral aboriginal dances of Latin America. But since the 19th century it has adopted figures from European dances, such as El Pericón, Media Caña and El Cielito.

Now it is danced between loose couples but together, taking small jumps in a kind of simple trot, starting with the left foot.

Before the conquest, the native peoples of northeastern Argentina used to dance it. It is still carried out as part of the traditions in the central and northern areas of the Jujuy and Salta provinces.

The Bagualas

Quena, used to accompany bagualas. Source: User: Jordi Coll Costa / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

It is a musical genre that is part of the original folklore of the peoples of the northwest of the country, descendants of the Diaguita communities. It is not danceable and was very popular among the indigenous communities of that region.

They are songs formed by eight-syllable verses that are generally improvised. They are accompanied by a ternary and uniform rhythm in slow tempo, which is marked with the snare. This instrument is played by the same singer, who sets the times.

Bagualas are part of the box music, characteristic of that used in the festive and sacred rituals of the Andes. It is performed accompanied by the quena and the erque, a typical instrument of that region three or four meters long.

The coplero is followed by the rest of the performers, singing in repetitions similar to the responses.

The Zamba

Source: YehudaMizrahi / Public domain

Both dance and music receive this name. The zamba is performed in the northeast region of the country and came to be proposed as an Argentine national dance, although it is also danced in the southern region of Bolivia.

It is danced in pairs, making different figures with the hands and the face as a mimic. The man performs a love ritual by ramming the woman, while she flirts and avoids him with the help of a handkerchief.

It is a dance originally from Peru and was introduced in Argentina around 1815 through the province of Mendoza. Its name derives from the racial mixture of Indians and blacks and it is also known by the name of "zamacueca".

Carnival of Corrientes

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This festival is important in many areas of the country, but it should be noted that of the city of Corrientes, declared the National Capital of Carnival. Every year it brings together more than 30,000 people who enjoy the different parades, shows, concerts or groups.

Chacarera

Source: Stuardo Herrera / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Cheerful folk dance to dance as a couple, which wear colorful regional costumes. The musical accompaniment is based on the guitar, accordion, bass drum or violin. It has special roots in the areas of the Argentine northwest.

Caramel

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It is one of the main gastronomic emblems of the country. This dessert is ideal to take it alone or accompanied. In ice creams, alfajores, waffles, crepes or other types of pastries this delicacy is never lacking.

Quartet

The quartet is a very happy musical genre that was born in Córdoba. It is a mix of tarantella, Zulian bagpipes, pasodobles or even rock. At first this music was associated with the lower classes and some of its best known representatives are Potro Rodrigo and Mona Jiménez.

Harvest festival

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Popular festival that commemorates the work and effort of the vineyards to obtain the wine. It has its origin in Mendoza, where it was celebrated for the first time in 1936. The Blessing of the fruits, the dancers or parades are part of one of the most important celebrations in South America.

Themes of interest

Traditions of Spain.

Mexican traditions.

Traditions of Venezuela.

References

1. Dictionary Folckl or rich Argentino, Félix Coluccio, Ediciones Plus Ultra, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1981.
2. The Gaucho Martín Fierro, José Hernández, 1872.
3. 3. The Gaucho. Custom and traditions, Fernando Romero Carranza, Letemendia Editora House, Buenos Aires, Argentina.