As you can imagine there are many differences when it comes
to celebrating the holidays in Paraguay, but there are many similarities as
well! Here are a few examples that come to mind….
Food- lots of Food! At the top of
the menu- carne asada, or bar-b-qued beef and pork. Clarico, or finely chopped
fruit placed in a 5-gallon bucket retrieved from the barnyard, which is then
filled with wine, champagne and orange soda. Finally, the tatakuaa, or earthen
oven, is fired up and readied for the chipa guazu. Chipa guazu, (sounds like
something from a Dr. Seuss book, doesn’t it?), is a special bread made from
freshly ground corn, eggs, oil, and lots of homemade cheese- delicious!
Paraguayans actually plant their corn so the harvest coincides with the holiday
season in order to prepare this specialty.
 |
| Cutting fruit for Clarico |
Visiting neighbors with Holiday
Greetings. It is a tradition with my family, in the states, to bake Christmas
cookies, then share with friends and neighbors. I decided to continue this
tradition in Paraguay, and some neighbor kids joined me in baking.
Because I
didn’t have plates, we cut plastic soda bottles and placed our goodies inside.
After tying tiny homemade cards to the bottles, we were off to visit and wish
our friends and neighbors a Feliz Navidad!
At many homes large outdoor
crèches were assembled complete with all the key players, decorated with
greenery and flowers from the yard, candles and offerings of fruit and candies.
On Christmas Day, gifts are not
exchanged. Instead, Dia de Los Tres Magos,(Day of the The Three Wise Men), is celebrated
on January 6th. On this day
all good children place a shoe near an open window in the evening, hoping it
will be filled with treats and small toys. As you can see, Los Tres Magos have
an interesting sense of humor, as this is what Mark found in his shoe!
Here’s to hoping you had a wonderful holiday season, whether
in the States or in Paraguay celebrating both old and new traditions!
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