Celebrating Paraguay’s Folk Culture

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On World Folklore Day, Paraguay celebrated the traditions, customs, and cultural elements which make the nation unique from any other.

“At the national level, folklore is deeply linked to artistic expression,” wrote Última Hora of Asunción. “It is through art that one can appreciate Paraguayan identity.”

Among these forms of expression, music is of particular importance within Paraguay. With its characteristic melodies and rhythms, many of them featuring the Paraguayan harp, Paraguay’s music expresses “customs, places, traces, behaviors, and other folkloric features of the country.”

Some of these songs, which “transcended the region and established themselves as a sort of description of Paraguayan culture” are composed with lyrics in Guarani, another element which makes them uniquely Paraguayan.

The language of the country’s indigenous population, Guarani has been present within Paraguayan culture since its inception. It has been used in times of war, when it was employed as a code to throw off enemies not fluent in the language, and in times of peace, appearing as the language of Paraguayan mythology and oral history.

In Paraguay, cultural identity also resides within the country’s traditional dress. From the Ao Po’i creations added to dresses, shirts, flags, and tablecloths to the patterns found everywhere from everyday objects to the exteriors of buildings, Paraguayan design is omnipresent.

Dance is another key element of Paraguayan folklore. In choreography particular to the region, Paraguayan dance makes use of household objects like pitchers and bottles, which dancers use to showcase their dexterity. 

Last, but not least, is the country’s literary culture, which, in addition to producing influential works, has won international attention.