Aljawaz Your guide to study abroad The customs, traditions, and culture in Argentina have high European influences. Most of the Argentinian people are Europeans in the first place, which makes them a bit different from the other Latin American countries, as the European and Indian cultures were more blended. Meanwhile, the Argentinians often look more Europeans than Latin Americans regarding their cultural and emotional aspects.
Here is our overview of the customs, culture and traditions in Argentina.
Table of Contents
Argentina traditions and celebrations
Traditions and customs in Argentina include the Cosquín Folk Festival, Carnival, Argentine Government Memorial, Flag Day, Friendship Day, Independence Day, Columbus Day, and Snow Festival. They also celebrate holidays from the Catholic history of Argentina, such as the Good Friday, Easter and Christmas.
Cosquín Folk Festival takes place in Córdoba to celebrate the traditions. In this festival, people send each other cards and flowers.
Moreover, in the Friendship Day, people call their friends, while the Snow Festival is for a part in Argentina with a strong Swiss influence, where they celebrate their history with traditional Swiss donuts and wine.
Traditions in Argentina: Sharing Mate
From the traditions and customs in Argentina, drinking Yerba Mate tea, which is a national drink. The Mate is prepared by soaking dried leaves of this herb in hot water. Then they drink it in a special Calabash bowl with Bombilla silver or metal straw. While drinking, each person passes the tea to another one, so it becomes an enjoyable social ritual. People believe that this tea has many health benefits, such as stress relief, appetite reduction, immunity strengthen and getting many nutritional elements and antioxidants.
Language in Argentina
The official language in Argentina is Spanish. As mentioned in a previous article about learning Spanish in Argentina, the Argentinian Spanish is different from the Spanish used in Spain. Actually, it sounds more Italian. There are many other languages in Argentina, such as Italian, German, English, and French. The spoken languages of the indigenous people include Tehuelche, Guaraní, Quechua.
Religion
The Argentinian constitution guarantees the religious freedom. The Roman Catholic is the official religion of Argentina. During the last ten to fifteen years, the other world religions, especially Islam, gained a foothold inside the country.
What are family traditions in Argentina?
The family is the center of the Argentinian life, where the extended families still have a prominent position. The heads of the strong families are highly respected. However, they bear the caring responsibilities, regarding security, jobs, preserving the family’s honor, etc. Honor is everything and the most important thing in all the aspects of the life of the Argentinian family. It greatly affects the routine of daily life in the house, society, and business.
Public Decency and Events’ Traditions
The gathering manners in Argentina include greeting the elders or the most important people first, checking hands with eye contact and welcoming smile is enough. Keeping eye contact indicates the consideration. The Argentinian people are in general a frank and direct people, while they can preserve decency and diplomacy.
Nightlife in Argentina starts late. At 7 p.m there is a coffee break and dinner is served at 9 or 10 p.m. It is very common to end the night by the breakfast at 6 or 7 a.m.
If you were invited for dinner at an Argentinian house, bring a small gift for the host. You have to wait for the host to introduce you to a small gathering. Arriving in time is not a rule. When leaving, say goodbye to each person separately, and call the hosts to thank them on the next day.
Culture and Theater
Arts and culture have a huge popularity in Argentina that private and national institutions support. The Argentinian people are highly educated. Each year, the country hosts the international book fair, where more than a million people attend. One of the many popular writers globally is the Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges, who was a poet, critic, and one of the most prominent writers of the twentieth century.
Furthermore, the Argentinians are so fond of theater and performances. Dance performances and musical concerts take place in the gardens and sometimes stadiums, in case of broad-scale attendance.
Also, the film and music production is of the prosperous industries in Argentina. You will find many types of music to suit all the tastes, from folk music, to pop and jazz music.
The passion for football
We can’t talk about the cultural traditions in Argentina without a word about fútbol. Like in Brazil, football is more than a mere sport, it’s a national religion in Argentina. For the record, it’s the British who brought football to Argentina back in the 20th century. It was back then an attempt to undermine the passion for Tango, which they consider as a morally questionable dance.
More than a century later, the love of football prevailed, and Argentine people are passionate about their teams and players. Moreover, Buenos Aires, the capital city is where there are the most football stadiums in the world, to tell you that you don’t mess around with football in Argentina!
