Arete guazú ("big day" or "true day" in the

Guarani language Guarani (Avañe'ẽ), also called Paraguayan Guarani, is a language of South America that belongs to the Tupi–Guarani branch of the Tupian languages, Tupian language family. It is one of the two official languages of Paraguay (along with Spa ...

, "Arete Guasu" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

) is a traditional

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guarani language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * G ...

festival celebrated in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. It is also known as '"Carnaval Grande" (big carnival), "Kandaváre" or "Pim Pim" after the sound of the pin-pin drum played during the ceremonies. Arete guazú occurs in February each year to celebrate the corn harvest season. In the past, arete guazú was only celebrated if there had been a good harvest; however, since the Guarani people have mostly lost their farmland and urbanized, it is held during

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

. People begin preparing at least eight days before the festivities. The festival is seen as a spiritual ancestral practice that strengthens the community's ties with each other and with their environment. It reaffirms the indigenous peoples' rights to exist and displays their pride in being indigenous.

Festival proceedings

It begins with a Yerure ceremony at the foot of a tree that symbolizes

Pachamama Pachamama is a goddess revered by the Indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is an " Earth Mother" type goddess, Dransart, Penny. (1992) "Pachamama: The Inka Earth Mother of the Long Sweeping Garment." ''Dress and Gender: Makin ...

, to whom participants offer

basil Basil (, ; , ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' (, )), also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a hardiness (plants), tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" r ...

, drinks,

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...

s and

chicha ''Chicha'' is a Fermentation, fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest of Peru, Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jo ...

in gratitude. They then dance around in a circle to represent the

circle of life "Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film ''The Lion King''. Composed by British musician Elton John and composer Hans Zimmer, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie (the deep female lead ...

and continuity of natural cycles. Afterwards, a pretend fight occurs between a bull, who represents colonizers, and the "Mascaritas", who are ancestral beings. The bull defats the Mascaritas. Finally, a young man dressed as a

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

, referred to as the Yagua, Jagua Jagua or Yaguareté, slinks into the circle. He confronts and always defeats the bull. Participants in the festival wear agüeró ("grandparents") masks that represent their dead relatives who they believe dance along with them during the festival. The festival ends after three days of dancing, drum playing and games for the whole community, young and old. Neighbours of the Guarani, such as the Nivacle and Manjui tribes, may also join in.

Geography

Notable places that celebrate arete guazú include: Argentina * Doctor Pedro P. Peña *

Jujuy San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...

Bolivia * Libertador General San Martín, Jujuy Paraguay *

Mariscal Estigarribia Mariscal Estigarribia () is a town in the Boquerón, Paraguay, Boquerón Department of Paraguay. It is home to Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport (IATA code: ESG). Strategic importance The airport was constructed by Paraguayan milit ...

References

{{reflist Bolivian dances Indigenous dances of South America Harvest festivals Guaraní words and phrases Culture of Paraguay Culture of Argentina Culture of Bolivia