Argentina Local Customs

  They are so well trained too!
by Gypsystravels
 
  • They are so well trained too!
      They are so well trained too!
    by Gypsystravels
  • Crowd after 9:00 pm
      Crowd after 9:00 pm
    by Gypsystravels
  • Here's another bunch!
      Here's another bunch!
    by Gypsystravels
  • Such well behaved dogs
      Such well behaved dogs
    by Gypsystravels
  •   Local Customs
    by easterntrekker
 

Most Viewed Local Customs in Argentina

126.

Tango   Buenos Aires

Tango, Buenos Aires

 36 Reviews  Everywhere you go in Buenos Aires there is someone performing Tango on the street. Crowds gather, the music play, the dancers put on their show in full dance regalia...... If you stop to watch; then... 

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127.

Taste mate   Buenos Aires

Taste mate, Buenos Aires

 21 Reviews  Hola Napa :o) You can find a good "Mate Cup" anywhere in Buenos aires...even in the Supermarket. They are made in several different material. Wood, Calabaza (which is NOT plastic, Plata...there are... 

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128.

Kisses   Buenos Aires

Kisses, Buenos Aires

 8 Reviews  Five hours down the coast from Buenos Aires, lies the laid back beach resort of Pinamar. We went for the weekend to see what it had it offer and because this is high summer season, it was busy,busy,... 

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129.

Dog walkers = Paseadores de perros   Buenos Aires

Dog walkers = Paseadores de perros, Buenos Aires

 17 Reviews  In almost every area where there is a park near by you will find these talented dog walkers. How do they manage to walk more than 6 dogs at a time amazed me. During a walk along the Botanical... 

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130.

Personal experiencies with Argentinians   Buenos Aires

Personal experiencies with Argentinians, Buenos Aires

 16 Reviews  First, let me say that we meet Adalina twice. Once in Cementerio de la Recoleta and the other time at the Jardin Botanico. We were walking around the cementary when Ferni and I said we wondered if... 

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131.

Regarding Food   Buenos Aires

Regarding Food, Buenos Aires

 23 Reviews  Argentine empanadas can be baked or fried depending on the occasion or cook. It is more common in the city to have a baked empanada. They are dough that is filled with filling and folded over into a... 

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132.

Pesos, Argentinian currency   Buenos Aires

Pesos, Argentinian currency, Buenos Aires

 5 Reviews  Small bills and change are hard to come by in Buenos Aires so when you are given change make sure to hold on to it as you will need it to pay for small items like the collectivos, cabs, tips and... 

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133.

Gauchos / Folklore   Buenos Aires

Gauchos / Folklore, Buenos Aires

 6 Reviews  If you like horse riding, you come to Argentina and you have the time, this might be an unique opportunity to ride in the Andes in the Northwest of Argentina...! We are befriended with gauchos in the... 

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134.

Language   Buenos Aires

Language, Buenos Aires

 7 Reviews  Spanish is the native language in Buenos Aires (and all of Argentina) and we found it quite easy to communicate with the locals as we both speak very good Spanish. The Argentinians where quite... 

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135.

Wines   Buenos Aires

Wines, Buenos Aires

 6 Reviews  For those who love wine (me!) Buenos Aires (Argentina in general) has a wonderful selection of fantatic wines. There are many "Bodegues" which are wineries here in Argentina producing some of the best... 

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136.

Quilmes   Buenos Aires

Quilmes, Buenos Aires

 4 Reviews  Quilmes is the local beer and you will find that no matter where you go, you can order a Quilmes. I particularly don't care too much for beer (except for Leffe Blondes and an occassional pale ale),... 

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137.

Protests   Buenos Aires

Protests, Buenos Aires

 17 Reviews  piqueteros? that's how we call the people who protest on the streets. List of the most common places where there are protest: - Plaza de Mayo - The historical square, protest are mainly located in... 

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KISSIE ON THE RIGHT CHEEK

by swesn

Here in Argentina, friends always greet one another and bid one another farewell with a 'KISSIE ON THE RIGHT CHEEK'.This happens even when a guy meets another friend who is a guy. This might need some getting used to as you see two guys going up to place their cheeks on each other's and mouthing a 'KISSIE SMACK' sound. Very affectionate.Only for guy acquaintances who met for the first time, do they shake hands.So, it takes a rather long time to settle down when a group of friends arrive at a place where another group of friends is already there, as EVERYONE has to go round-robin to kiss everyone else's cheek.

GAUCHOS

by swesn

Gauchos are Argentine cow-boys of the pampas who roam the area on horseback. They are somewhat considered as folk heroes and are symbols of individualism and strength.They are excellent horsemen and herded cattle. Now, a small number work on the cattle ranches in the interior of Argentina.The yerba mate, sipped from a hollowed-out gourd through a metal straw, orginates from the GAUCHO culture.

NIGHT OWLS

by swesn

Truly, a city that never sleeps.Cafes and restaurants open really late into the night. People show up for dinner at 10 or 11pm. Shops along the busy pedestrian malls, Calle Florida and Calle Lavalle (especially, Lavalle!) stay open even after mid-night and there are tonnes of people thronging the streets at that time. Buenos Aires is also famous for its nightlife. Even when the locals hold parties at home, they usually start way after mid-night and carry on until the wee-hours of morning. Even at that time, when you try to head home, many streets are bustling around with people.Here, people stay out late many nights of the week and seem to need very little sleep. It's amazing.

MENTAL HEALTH IN BUENOS AIRES

by swesn

Apparently, it is really common in Buenos Aires to visit psychologists, psychiatrists or psychoanalysts. Nearly everyone, especially those from the middle and upper classes, visits them. They even send their children to such sessions. It is so common that there was absolutely no stigma with regards to this issue.Some believe that it is popular in Buenos Aires because Argentinians see themselves as individuals and not as part of a group. They are quite concerned about their personal thoughts and feelings. Others feel that due to political instability through the past decades, no one feels secure about themselves and the future and hence, they need some help and guidance.

PROFESSIONAL DOG-WALKERS

by swesn

I am not sure if they exist in such abundance in other countries but here in Buenos Aires, everyday, I saw at least one such dog-walker. People who do not have time to walk their dogs would enlist such a professional. The guy can have up to twelve huge dogs tied to his waist as he careens down the streets. Quite a sight! With the dogs, come the poo on the streets. No, they do not clean up after their dogs. While Buenos Aires had enchanting cupolas at the top of some corner blocks, I do not suggest always staring skywards when you walk. Watch out for the poo.

Tip Photo
PRONUNCIATION OF 'Y' AND 'LL'

by swesn

Secondly, in Buenos Aires, especially, the pronunciation for ‘y’ and ‘ll’ is ‘SH’. Again, the rest of the Spanish-speaking world does not pronounce it this way. So, ‘yo’ (usually, ‘yo') is pronounced as ‘sho’ and ‘llave’ (usually ‘ya-vey’) is ‘sha-vey’.Imagine, I had to convert in my mind all the words with 'y' and 'll' I learnt previously to what were used here in BA. I had to mind-map everything when I listened to the Argentinians. And I would have to undo all these changes once I leave Argentina. My name is TRISHA but my Christmas presents were all addressed to 'TRILLA'. That’s my Argentinian name.

VOS

by swesn

Don't worry if you start to wonder if your Spanish is really THAT bad after NOT understanding the Argentinians.Firstly, they use 'vos' in place of 'tu' for 'YOU'. Apparently, only the Argentinians (and maybe the Uruguayians) use 'vos'. The conjugation for 'vos' is different from 'tu' for its present tense. But for the other tenses, like past tense, future tense, etc... it was the same as 'tu'. It was as if after struggling through the present tense to create something different (just for the sake of it), the inventors of 'vos' decided to take a break and enjoy some mate and then, they suffered a major case of the Mañana Syndrome and never got back to figuring out the rest of the tenses for 'vos'.Brazil uses ‘voce’ for ‘YOU’. Perhaps, it is due to the proximity of Argentina and Uruguay to Brazil that made them adopt ‘vos’?

THE HAND-ROCKING GESTURE

by swesn

The typical gesture: With the right hand facing up, place all fingers together. Hold the fingers at an angle and rock to and fro a few times. It can be used to mean anything... from ‘Hey, what happened?’ to 'WHAT? What you are talking about? I disagree with that...' to 'Huh? Explain that again?' to 'Oh, it is the most gorgeous place in the world! Precioso!' to 'Hahaa, what a toad you are.'

MATE

by swesn

The typical drink of yerba herb of Argentinian gauchos (cow-boys) – the mate (pronounced 'ma-tey'). It is served in special cups made from round gourds or a vase-shaped vessel. The mate leaves are not just a couple of wimpy leaves swimming at the bottom of the cups. The leaves and sometimes stems are crushed up really small and filled to the brim of the cups. To drink it, one needed a bamboo or usually a metal straw with tiny holes at the bottom to filter out the tiny leaves. One could only pour enough water into the cup for one suck. The water, and this is very important as imparted gravely by my friend, Pablo, must be about 80°C or so. Never boiled to 100°C. It's all alchemy. You can always see the locals carrying their mates and clasping under their arm-pits, their precious flask of hot-water.

Tip Photo
Eating dinner

by wadekorzan

People in Argentina usually eat dinner very late. Many restaurants do not open before 8 or 8:30 PM. If you show up at at 8:30, you will probably be the only ones in the restaurant. People usually start coming around 9 PM and the restaurant is usually full by 10 PM. It will be very difficult to find a normal restaurant if you want have dinner at 6 or 7 PM, so try to adjust to the local customs and eat late!

Local traditions and culture in Argentina

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Local Customs: Cities in Argentina
  1. Buenos Aires Local Customs
  2. Mendoza Local Customs
  3. Ushuaia Local Customs
  4. El Calafate Local Customs
  5. San Carlos de Bariloche Local Customs
  6. Puerto Iguazú Local Customs
  7. Salta Local Customs
  8. Córdoba Local Customs
  9. Puerto Madryn Local Customs
  10. Rosario Local Customs
  11. Mar del Plata Local Customs
  12. Parque Nacional del Iguazù Local Customs
  13. San Miguel de Tucumán Local Customs
  14. San Juan Local Customs
  15. Fitz Roy Local Customs
  16. San Ignacio Local Customs
  17. Puerto Pirámides Local Customs
  18. Corrientes Local Customs
  19. Parque Nacional Los Glaciares Local Customs
  20. Puente del Inca Local Customs
  21. Humahuaca Local Customs
  22. Río Grande Local Customs
  23. Cachi Local Customs
  24. San Isidro Local Customs

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  hey guys i'll be in BsAs from 15th of december until end of january. sadly i don't have really time to travel around, only 4... 

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A: Only one night in Ushuaia! You're joking! All that way! There is so much to see on both land and water. I suggest that you look at the travel guides section of VT as... 

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