Paraneña Events

The Paraguayan calendar is anchored by a pilgrimage that brings out a sixth of the country.

Virgen de Caacupe — 8 December

The national devotion, and by some distance the largest gathering in Paraguay. Pilgrims walk to the basilica at Caacupe, some fifty kilometres from Asuncion, in the days beforehand — many of them overnight, many barefoot, in family groups and parish contingents, along a highway closed to traffic and lined with stalls, water points and first-aid posts. Well over a million people converge on a town of twenty thousand. The image is a small wooden Virgin said to have been carved by a Guarani convert in thanksgiving for escaping a raiding party, and the devotion to it crosses every social line in the country. There are masses through the night, fireworks, and an atmosphere that is somewhere between a religious occasion and a national reunion. It falls in the worst of the summer heat, which is part of the point.

Encarnacion Carnival — February

Paraguay’s largest carnival, run over several weekends on a purpose-built sambodromo with costumed troupes, floats and a great deal of foam.

Holy Week — March or April

Chipa is made in quantity, families gather, and processions fill the towns; much of the country closes.

Sanjuara — June

The June feast day, known in Paraguay by its Guarani name Sanjuara, is marked across the country with a set of traditional games that mostly involve fire: climbing a greased pole, chasing a flaming ball, and a straw bull carried by a runner. Every school, parish and neighbourhood holds one, with chipa and mulled cane spirit.

Festival del Lago — January, Ypacarai

Music and folklore on the lakeshore through the summer holiday season.