TRADITIONS
TRADITIONS
Traditions of Argentina
TRADITIONS
Podcast Show Notes
Date: Saturday, June 15, 2019
Episode: 009
Title: TRADITIONS
Subtitle: Traditions of Argentina
Length: 00:24:10
Final Show Link: http://TRADITIONS.buzzsprout.com
In an article titled How to Survive a Wedding in Argentina we’re advised, “First of all take a rest. Sleep. Have a siesta – a big one. It’s going to be a long night. Stamina is key to surviving an Argentinian boda (wedding).”
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In this episode we discuss:
Weddings in the United States are starting to look sedate compared to the rest of the world. We’ve met the “party animals” of Israel, Ireland and Germany. Today we’ll visit Argentina that looks to be, perhaps, one of the most frolicsome countries of the western hemisphere.
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Our favorite part of recording a live podcast is participating in the great conversations that happen on our social media and in our comments section. Join the conversation with your response to the question below.
This episode’s question is:
Q. Are you of Spanish descent? What customs and traditions can you add to this episode?
Explore these Resources
this episode, we mentioned the following resources:
- https://therealargentina.com/en/how-to-survive-a-wedding-in-argentina/
- https://www.best-country.com/south_america/argentina/wedding
- https://www.muslim-marriage-guide.com/wedding-traditions.html
- https://blog.willamette.edu/worldnews/2012/12/05/of-marriage-and-other-evils-weddings-in-argentina/
- https://prezi.com/yib4lyedmxum/argentina-marriage-customs/
- https://www.destinationweddingdirectory.co/south-america-wedding-guides/argentina-wedding-guide.html
- https://www.theknot.com/content/a-roundup-of-latin-american-wedding-traditions
- https://www.thebubble.com/six-people-you-meet-at-weddings-in-argentina/
- https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-Argentinian-wedding-traditions
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/09/argentina-fake-weddings-falsa-boda
Sponsored by Your Special Day wedding officiant service in Palm Harbor, Florida
Episode #: 009
Publication Date: June 16, 2019
Episode Length: 00:24:10
Host: Tom Hirsch
URL: http://TRADITIONS.buzzsprout.com
Show Transcript: www.Your-Special-Day.net/TRADITIONS/
Your Comments: Tom@Your-Special-Day.net
Intro Music in background - Evita
. . . . . . . and welcome to Episode009 of TRADITIONS.
Weddings in the United States are starting to look sedate compared to the rest of the world. We’ve met the “party animals” of Israel, Ireland and Germany. Today we’ll visit Argentina that looks to be, perhaps, one of the most frolicsome countries of the western hemisphere.
In an article titled How to Survive a Wedding in Argentina we’re advised, “First of all take a rest. Sleep. Have a siesta – a big one. It’s going to be a long night. Stamina is key to surviving an Argentinian boda (wedding).”
But, as we’ve done before, let’s start at the very beginning. Argentinians can be very “laid back” when you might expect them to be delirious and move like lightning when you least expect it. For example, don’t be surprised if you’re invited back to the folks on date two for an asado ---- Spanish for Bar-B-Q.
The average marriage age in the country is 23 to 25 and most young folks live at home with their parents until married. Catholic is the predominant religion, but it seems a rather small percentage of the population falls into the category of “actively practicing their religion.” Nevertheless, the Church is very influential when it comes to Argentinian weddings, and divorce in South American countries is strongly opposed. Remember, Pope Benedict was from Argentina.
An interesting ---- but completely unrelated ---- fact is that Argentina also has the largest Jewish population in Latin America.
As a courtship develops ---- once the bride’s father has been sufficiently plied with wine ---- an engagement ensues with minimal fanfare. Argentine men typically don’t offer their intended an engagement ring. Rather, when the couple agrees to marry, they exchange wedding bands and wear them on their right hand until the wedding, when the rings are transferred to the left hand.
Tradition has it that shortly before the wedding day the despedida de soltero and soltera – stag and hen nights – are enjoyed, which basically consist of ritual humiliation, nudity, strippers and dressing up as a bunny. Don’t know where the “bunny” comes from!
Common to so many European customs, religious wedding ceremonies are pro forma and can be quite lengthy or amazingly brief. It’s a matter of law that a formal, civil ceremony is performed in the registry office in the company of just the immediately family and close friends, thus making the marriage legal. But ---- brace yourself ---- the party is about to begin.
Everything starts late south of the equator. If you’re not at least ten to fifteen minutes late to an event you’re considered early! Weddings are no exception. Don’t expect the festivities to begin much before 9:00pm. But DO expect them to continue throughout the night. You can look forward to breakfast the next morning.
There is, typically, no bridal party ---- with the possible exception of a ring bearer or flower girl. The bride is escorted down the aisle by her father and the groom’s mother. As I said earlier, the ceremony is usually mercifully brief ---- essentially just a blessing of the rings by the priest. After all ---- there’s the mother of all parties to get to.
Speeches aren’t usually a big feature of Argentine weddings, but you can expect lots of toasts to the couple, using champagne or sidra, a popular local cider. These can become quite involved given most wedding receptions include two hundred or more guests.
The first dance is usually a waltz ---- however the conga and tango are also popular ---- with the men and women lining up on either side of the dance floor sort of like the old American “Stroll” of the 1950s. At some point the bride and groom will peel of and select a new dance partner from those lining the sides until all guests have participated in the wedding dance. A custom both exhausting and, in some cases, almost intolerable.
Expect to eat a LOT of meat in Argentina. And GOOD meat it will be. The country is renowned for the quality of its stock on the hoof. By the time the food’s served you’ll be more than ready to consume.
Instead of the bride throwing her bouquet, there’s a traditional game that involves colored ribbons extending from the wedding cake. Eligible women gather around the cake, select a ribbon and withdraw it from the cake. One of those ribbons is attached to a ring. The lucky lady pulling the ring is suggested to be the next to marry.
An Argentine tradition related to the cost of goods sold is that of “handmade with love.” Off-the-shelf or mass-produced goods tend to be very expensive, so couples and their families often hand craft as many of the elements of their wedding as possible. This frugality is more than offset by the all-night party following the wedding ceremony. The mothers of the bridal couple usually take a leading role in these arrangements. However, as is customary in the States, the parents of the bride often bear the lion’s share of the wedding’s financial burden.
An Argentinean bride normally wears a white wedding dress, although this may vary depending on her faith. Generally, all the elements of Catholic and Christian wedding attire might be expected, including that white dress, full veil and bouquet. Underneath it all, a bride will commonly wear a blue petticoat as her “something blue.”
Showers of rice or birdseed as the couple exit the church are common and amount to the same fertility rites common around the world.
Party time is also present time; it’s customary for all the presents to be opened early in the party and in front of all the guests. Again, this occupies lots of time, given the number of guests and the “bridal registries” that have been left all over town.
If you’re simply enamored with things Latin American and dream of a South American wedding, Argentina can be a beautiful destination. The elongated coastline provides lots of beach resorts and water sports for the “outdoorsy ---- active types.”
Generally, the summers are hot and humid, and the winters are cold. It's important to remember that the seasons are different in the southern hemisphere, so when people in North America or Europe are experiencing winter, it’s summertime in Argentina and vice versa. Also, the further south you go the colder the region becomes. The warmer areas are closer to the equator. Those areas located near the Andes Mountains experience cool summers and extremely cold winters, while the desert areas of the central country will be hot and dry throughout most of the year.
People in Argentina often greet others, even people they’ve just met, with a kiss on the cheek. This is a customary practice and you may offend them you if you back away. Also, don’t be surprised if people ask personal questions. This is another common practice and they expect you to ask them personal questions in return. They may consider you rude or that you don’t like them if you don’t ask. They also like to joke around, so don’t take offense. The best thing to do is to just joke back with them. If they are angry with you, their facial expression will let you know. Punctuality is not very important in the culture and you should expect to wait at least 15 minutes for any appointment or meeting you have set up. Also, if you are invited to a party, it’s not proper to arrive early. You should come at the designated time ---- or later.
Beef is a staple of Argentina and can be found in almost every dish. Many folks think that Argentina has some of the best beef in the world. The country is also well-known for its fine wine and tea.
The natives are late starters and typically don’t eat breakfast until about 10am. This is usually just a light meal that may only include coffee and a pastry or toast. Lunch is served closer to mid-afternoon and many of the locals don’t eat dinner until about 10pm.
Tipping is optional in Argentina. When you do tip, make it around 10 percent of the bill. Some restaurants may add a cutlery charge to your bill. This is more like a service fee and goes to the restaurant and not the server, so a tip is always welcomed.
Many travelers to Argentina only need a passport. There’s a small fee of $40 which must be paid to the Civil Registry for holding your wedding ceremony and processing your paperwork. You will also be expected to pay the hospital upfront for the cost of having the proper blood tests performed.
All cities within Argentina use pesos. Coins come in various forms, including 1 or 2 pesos, and 5, 10, 25, 50 centavos, with 100 centavos equaling 1 peso. Some places accept the U. S. dollar or the Euro, but you should always keep pesos with you. Don’t be too surprised if some places offer golosinas ---- or candies ---- in place of 5 or 10 centavos of change; it’s a standard practice. If you’re using a credit card to make purchases, be prepared to show proper identification. The current exchange rate between Argentina and the U.S. is 2.3 cents American to the peso, which translates to almost 50 pesos to the dollar.
There are some indigenous characters to beware of at a wedding.
“The Nicotine Mooch” is a self-proclaimed “social smoker” who always enjoys “OPCs” == “Other People’s Cigarettes!” Once they’ve got you pegged you might as well just give them your pack of smokes. They’ll get it from you eventually anyway!
“The Political Wonk” has the answer for all the problems of the world. Watch out for these “sirens.” Once they’ve got you in their clutches you may be down for the count. Nothing escapes the “black hole” of their political profundity.
“The Fashionable Gauche” wear a white dress to the wedding, thus upstaging the bride, or top off their pin-striped suit with white socks and sneakers. You may think you’re “cool,” but you’ll be a majority of one.
Weddings bring out the “The Argentine Yentl” whose self-appointed duty it is to discover a mate for every eligible person at the party. If you see the village matchmaker heading your way with a member of the opposite sex in tow pretend not to see her and head for the hills before it’s too late.
Besotted wedding parties bring out the raging adolescent hormones in all of us, especially in societies of European descent where prurient behavior is somewhat common. If you don’t want to wake up with a size twenty headache to find compromising photos circulating all around the village ---- and the internet ---- try to exercise some discretion. Remember the saying, “Good judgement is the result of experience, and experience is the result of bad judgement!”
Finally, you’ll encounter “The Wino.” An open bar ---- which most Latin weddings offer ---- brings out the lush in many of us. Nothing loosens the lips like a good sousing of alcohol. You might as well offer your apologies ahead of time ‘cause nobody’s going to buy it after the fact!
Last ---- but certainly not least ---- is the delightful Argentine millennial custom of “Fake Weddings.”
With fewer and fewer young Argentinians getting married for real, groups of friends in their 20s and 30s are instead paying around $50 apiece to attend staged events.
A company hires real wedding locations, caterers and DJs for the parties. It’s organized like the real thing, except the marriage itself is fake.
Hired actors play the bride, groom and a surprise third party: a spurned lover or secret boyfriend who arrives “unexpectedly” – and with dramatic results.
The guests get all the fun of a wedding party with none of the commitment, or the problem of finding someone to actually get married.
A typical “fake wedding” hosts about 600 or 700 paying guests, with soap-opera style drama and a party lasting all night long.
Actors play out a different storyline at each event, but each one culminates with the “bride” throwing her bouquet to the female guests.
Women seem to be the driving force behind these affairs; a fact most likely derived from a scarcity of eligible bachelors in the country. It’s said that in Buenos Aires you’ll find only 86 men for every 100 women. Hello, guys !
A few final thoughts coming from an article about sixteen things NOT to do in Argentina.
1. Don’t confuse soccer with American football. “Futbol”---- colloquial for soccer ---- is almost a religious experience in Latin America. Be careful what you say unless you’re prepared to defend your views in a “manly manner.”
2. Don’t expect a quiet vacation. Perhaps the most important thing to understand when you’re visiting Argentina is that the people have an international reputation for being passionate, friendly and ebullient. Read: they’re loud. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just a cultural difference you should expect when you arrive.
3. Make sure you have a good map. Navigating your way around a city like Buenos Aries can be challenging and easily lead you astray into some “less desirable” locations.
4. Stay away from national politics. Don’t we have enough of that kind of thing right here at home? You aren’t going to win ---- so why even try. If you see trouble brewing ----- walk away ---- fast!
5. Don’t claim to be an American. The whole western hemisphere is loaded with “Americans” of one stripe or another. There are South Americans of many nationalities; Central Americans of several more varieties; even North Americans come in flavors of the United States, Canada as well as Native-Americans. It’s best you just enjoy the surroundings and leave the national pride at home.
6. Don’t waste your time complaining to the locals. They don’t care and won’t listen.
7. Always make sure you have some monetary coins in your pocket. There are plenty of places that won’t accept paper money.
8. Remember, Argentina comes alive as midnight approaches. If you’re an “early to bed and early to rise” person you might want to consider a difference vacation experience.
9. Don’t pet the dogs! The cities are loaded with packs of feral dogs. It’s best to give them a wide berth.
10. If you’re a dancer make a point of visiting the “milonga” or Argentinian dance halls. Leave your pride at the door and enjoy the experience.
11. Even if you’re a vegetarian you’ll be depriving yourself of one of life’s grand experiences if you don’t partake of Argentinian meat. It’s everywhere and it’s all good. As I mentioned earlier, Argentina is renowned for its meat, wine and tea.
12. Forget about shopping for clothes. Most of what you’ll find is sub-standard compared to what we “gringos” are accustomed to. Plus, it’s overpriced and, unless you’re built like Twiggy (remember her?), you won’t find anything that fits.
13. Keep in mind that punctuality sometimes can be interpreted as an insult in a society as laid-back as Argentina. If you’re not “fashionably late” then you’re early, and such is usually not so much appreciated.
14. Leave your “thin skin” at home. Remember, Argentinians are boisterous, fun-loving practical jokers who will delight in your discomfort. Take it in good stride and, if you can do so graciously, give it back in kind.
15. Make use of the taxi cabs ---- especially at night. One nice little fact to know is that cab drivers are quite well paid in the city, so you don’t need to concern yourself with calculating a tip for the driver. Just pay the fare and be on your way.
16. Last ---- but definitely not least ---- don’t ever give anybody the “thumbs up” sign. It’s the Argentine equivalent of “flipping the bird” and won’t be well received! The “OK” gesture of making a circle with your thumb and forefinger is also considered vulgar. Your best bet for indicating approval is a simple and friendly nod of the head.
Ole! Ole! Outro Music . . . . . and that’s TRADITIONS for today. Thanks for traveling south of the equator with me in this ninth episode of TRADITIONS.
Resources:
https://therealargentina.com/en/how-to-survive-a-wedding-in-argentina/
https://www.best-country.com/south_america/argentina/wedding
https://www.muslim-marriage-guide.com/wedding-traditions.html
https://blog.willamette.edu/worldnews/2012/12/05/of-marriage-and-other-evils-weddings-in-argentina/
https://prezi.com/yib4lyedmxum/argentina-marriage-customs/
https://www.destinationweddingdirectory.co/south-america-wedding-guides/argentina-wedding-guide.html
https://www.theknot.com/content/a-roundup-of-latin-american-wedding-traditions
https://www.thebubble.com/six-people-you-meet-at-weddings-in-argentina/
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-Argentinian-wedding-traditions
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/09/argentina-fake-weddings-falsa-boda