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Paraguay Local Customs
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Paraguay Local Customs

Learn the local customs of Paraguay. Tips and photos posted by real travelers and Paraguay locals.
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Paraguay Local CustomsTips 1 - 10 of 19  
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South American Peace Pipe?
  • Tip Rating:
    • etfromnc
  • Updated By etfromnc on March 24, 2004
  • Paraguay Page by etfromnc
    • Guarana is very popular among people of Paraguay especially those who need a healthy, but very energetic drink to cope with intense physical and intellectual activity. With Brazil being a much larger and more prosperous country, guarana is often considered to be of Brazilian origin. Actually the word "guarana" is derived from the Guarani indian tribe which is indigenous to Paraguay.

    There are entire industries based on guarana. Though tourists most often find it after it has been processed through modern methods such as stone grinding the Guarani tribe and others in Paraguay use older methods which preserve its intoxicating and medicinal attributes. Guarana is a fruit. Its scientific name is 'Paulinia cupana' and small portions of its powder can be diluted in liquids, such as hot or cold water, milk, yogurt and juices of all sorts. If taken some time before a meal -say half an hour - it can make you feel less hungry and help you reduce your food intake.

    There is also a soft drink made out of guarana syrup, which is really delightful, but which keeps very few of the properties found in the guarana powder as described above. It is widely consumed throughout central South America and it is produced by powerful companies, such as Brahma, Antarctica and Coca Cola.

    The old time concoctions are better and much more exciting.

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    Visiting Paraguay?

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    Getting Change
  • Tip Rating:
    • chris_i79
  • By chris_i79 on August 18, 2003
  • Paraguay Page by chris_i79
    • Paraguay Local Customs
    by chris_i79
    This is tip goes for all countries in South America, but was especially bad in Paraguay. When you have large bills it is very difficult to change them into smaller and more managable bills. Sometimes you will be unable to purchase things because stores will be unable to make change. So my advice is to do exactly what the stores do, small notes are valuable, always try to buy things with larger denominations first, then if they can't change it, try something smaller. Also remember which business will always break large notes. They are sometimes difficult to find!!!

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    Uriniation outside
  • Tip Rating:
    • ATXtraveler
  • By ATXtraveler on September 3, 2007
  • Paraguay Page by ATXtraveler
    • Paraguay Local Customs
    by ATXtraveler
    So normally I would not put up a graphic photo like this, but I found it wholy ironic considering the sign. Unfortunately, the sign turned out blurry, but I will explain the situation. For a long time, Ciudad del Este had been charging for public restrooms, which led to a large contingency of its populations to simply pee where and when needed. The government then changed its public bathroom structure to being gratis (free), yet people still peed freely.

    The government then put up signs outside the bathrooms clearly indicating that the bathroom was in fact free... the blurry sign said so... but the people of Ciudad del Este are still choosing to fight the government one wee at a time! Here you will clearly see a person peeing not more than 5 feet from the entrance to a public restroom!

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    Chipa
  • Tip Rating:
    • eduar68
  • By eduar68 on April 18, 2005
  • Paraguay Page by eduar68
    • The longest chipa in the world - Paraguay
    The longest chipa in the
    world
    by eduar68
    Chipa is a kind of bread with egg and cheese very common in Paraguay. Vendors are found on many corners keeping them warm as long as posible within straw baskets. The one of the picture is taken March 2005 when they tried to bake the longest bread in the world. A Guiness officer confirmed this particular one measured over 25m (about 75-80' )

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    People greet each other with...
  • Tip Rating:
    • SusanitaL
  • By SusanitaL on August 25, 2002
  • Paraguay Page by SusanitaL
    • People greet each other with two kisses one on each side. Only for men to woman, or woman to woman.

    I found it a little bit harder to understand their language, since they mix a lot of guarani in their speech. And never deny drinking mate with the people, its rude. Even though you might think its not too healthy to share the straws!!

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    Maté
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bjorgvin
  • Updated By Bjorgvin on August 14, 2003
  • Paraguay Page by Bjorgvin
    • Paraguay Local Customs
    by Bjorgvin
    One of the most important products of the country is the so-called Paraguay tea (maté or yerba maté), which is still the largest article of export. It consists of dried leaves of the evergreen maté tree, crushed and slightly roasted, and drawn in boiling water. It is the favorite beverage of the country, and is in fact a very popular beverage elsewhere in South America. The Jesuit missionaries introduced the use of maté leaves to the Guaraní Indians of the area in the 16th and 17th centuries and this tea almost entirely displaced the intoxicating drinks to which they had been addicted. Hollow gourds, often ornamented with silver (fine souvenirs), are traditionally used as bowls or containers for brewing yerba maté, and it is sipped through a silver filtering “straw” (bombilla).

  • Website: http://www.noborders.net/mate
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    Paraguayan music and dance
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bjorgvin
  • Updated By Bjorgvin on August 14, 2003
  • Paraguay Page by Bjorgvin
    • Paraguay Local Customs
    by Bjorgvin
    Paraguay has a distinctive musical tradition, especially of songs and ballads. The music is European in origin. The guitar and native harp (arpa paraguaya) are popular instruments and songs are usually sad and slow. Typical music for dancing, such as the polka and galopa, a variant of which is the bottle dance where performers swing around with a jar on their head, is much livelier.

  • Website: http://www.musicaparaguaya.org.py/
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    Paraguayan handicraft
  • Tip Rating:
    • Bjorgvin
  • By Bjorgvin on August 24, 2002
  • Paraguay Page by Bjorgvin
    • Paraguay Local Customs
    by Bjorgvin
    Paraguayan handicraft is renown especially Ñanduti lace. Ñanduti means in Guaraní language “spider fabric”. These laces are made of fine cotton thread, with combinations of many colours, though the most traditional nanduti is white. Also look out for fine clothing hand woven and hand made, shirts, blouses, tablecloths and napkins. Pottery is also a popular craft known by the Indians.

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    Guarani Women
  • Tip Rating:
    • pepples46
  • Updated By pepples46 on February 23, 2005
  • Paraguay Page by pepples46
    • Guarani Women & Children '70 - Paraguay
    Guarani Women & Children '70
    by pepples46
    their culture and history, for that matter the whole of the tribe of Guarani's, is highlighted by the brazilian Composer Antonio Carlos Gomes, in his romantic Opera:
    O Guarani
    more info on the Guarani tribe..

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  • Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/254f3/16e6a7/
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    in General...
  • Tip Rating:
    • pepples46
  • Updated By pepples46 on September 17, 2004
  • Paraguay Page by pepples46
    • Paraguay Local Customs
    by pepples46
    Paraquay has always opend its borders for all kinds of immigrants, if I may say so. obvious the arrangments made benefitet both sites.
    Mennonites, a protestant sect, speaking only german, living in the middle of the Chaco,with they're own farming system & school's and Hospitals.They came from Canada, Soviet Union and the Ukraine..not from Germany as one could think. Banned from Germany many centuries ago, because of they're strong view's and non integration into community's

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