Culture of Paraguay, the living Spirit of the Falls

Why should you know about the culture of Paraguay when visiting the Iguassu Falls?

There is a curious world behind the dramatic scenery of these falls, made of native myths and legends, of music, traditions and values rooted in the obscure trails of the jungle. I like to call this world the spirit of the falls and this spirit lives in Paraguay.

The World of the Guaranis and the Culture of Paraguay

When walking around the falls, it would be interesting to imagine you are putting your feet on the same ground that other people many years ago considered a sacred place. I’m talking about the Guarani natives, past inhabitants of what is now south-eastern Brazil, north-eastern Argentina and all of the Paraguayan territory. The Iguassu Falls are located in what was the heart of the Guarani world.

By the way, Paraguay has so interesting places to visit you shouldn't miss when visiting Iguassu Falls! To know about this please read our Places to visit in Paraguay page.

These people lived organized in tribes and were highly adapted to living in the Atlantic Rainforest environment. Guaranis were born naturalists with a great empirical knowledge of plants and animals. The wealth of botanical and zoological names in the Guarani language is only beaten by Latin and Greek. They were hunters and fruit collectors but also practiced agriculture with a diet based on corn and manioc. Many of the Guarani religious rituals are related with the life cycle and agriculture of corn.

The Guarani culture has shaped the culture of Paraguay like in no other country of South America.

For instance, Paraguayan foods are also based on maize and manioc, a sign of the Guarani influence in the culture of Paraguay.

The Guaranis practiced a preventive and therapeutic medicine based on daily consumption of medicinal herbs and this is also part of the culture of Paraguay. The ‘yerba mate’ or ka’a in guarani is one of these herbs that are widely consumed in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay as an infusion. But Paraguayans are the only one’s that still practice the daily Guarani tradition of consuming a wide variety of herbs for all sorts of therapeutic purposes. How? Paraguayans drink “tereré” a cold water infusion of yerba mate mixed with a selected variety of other medicinal herbs they call “remedio” or medicine in Spanish. Paraguayans drink gallons of tereré daily to refresh themselves from the warm climate.

Want to test this part of the culture of Paraguay? You can tell her what illness you want to prevent or cure and she will prescribe you the right herb to put in your terere infusion.

But there is more interesting things to tell you about the culture of Paraguay.

The Guarani natives in a pure state have almost disappeared, but their blood and culture is still thriving in Paraguay today. So why look only to archeological or historic relics when you can directly witness the living culture of Paraguay heir of the Guaranis?

The most remarkable Guarani cultural expression that survives in the culture of Paraguay is the Guarani language. Guarani is Paraguayan's daily language, not Spanish as foreigners might suppose. Paraguayans speak Spanish as a second language and feel uncomfortable with it, a reflexion of how deep the Guarani culture is rooted into the culture of Paraguay.

Capturing the Spirit of the Iguassu Falls

The old Guarani culture and the actual culture of Paraguay share many popular myths and legends that explain the where’s and how’s of things. Stories that are told by elders to children during the warm Paraguayan nights gathered under a moonlighted sky and to the sound of the cicada, a tradition I’ve witnessed is still practiced by many Paraguayan families today in the same way the Guaranis did for millennia.

The Legend of Pora-sy and Tarova

In the case of the Iguassu Falls the culture of Paraguay has many versions of one same legend that tells how the falls came to be. The story says the Iguassu River was inhabited by Mbói jagua a giant snake with magical powers. Every day a beautiful Guarani girl named Porá-sy refreshed herself in the waters of the river and as she did Mbói stopped the waters movement in sign of admiration. The Mburuvichá or chief of the tribe noticed this and decided that Porá-sy had to be entirely devoted to Mbói to gain his favor for the community but Tarová a young and rebel member of the tribe thought differently.

During the celebrations that consecrated Porá-sy to Mbói Tarová kidnapped her and they tried to escape on a canoe down the Iguassu River. In anger for what was happening Mbói promptly moved under the river bed and with a snapping of his giant body created the Iguassu Falls just ahead of the escaping couple. Porá-sy and Tarová fell into the abysm of the falls and never were seen again.

Mbói transformed Porá-sy into a rock under the falling waters of the Iguassu Falls and Tarová into a palm tree on the border of the abysm so they never again could be together. But the lovers somehow found a manner to reunite. On sunny days, when the sunlight shines in a special way through the mist of the waterfalls a rainbow appears with its extremes touching the palm tree and the rock. It happens briefly and unpredictably so the jealous Mbói won’t notice it. The love of Tarová and Porá-sy continues to defy the powerful Mbói until today and you can witness this when visiting the Iguassu Falls.


Can you see Porá-sy and Tarová in this picture?

In classic Guarani legends the names of the characters also add important meaning to the story. In this case the name “Porá-sy” means “mother of beauty” in Guarani. “Mbói” is the common name used today by Paraguayans to refer to snakes and “Tarová” means “with little judgment” or “crazy”. These stories are not strange to the Paraguayan people they are part of the culture of Paraguay and of the spirit of the falls.

This is just one of many stories orally transmitted from one generation of Paraguayans to the next. Most remarkably some of them are held as true by many Paraguayans today, a clear evidence of how deep the Guarani beliefs are tangled into the culture of Paraguay.

The Myth of the Twins Kuarahy and Jasy

This myth contains some of the most important Guarani teachings that regulated and gave purpose to the daily life of these people. It also is part of the actual culture of Paraguay, considered an important source of living wisdom for the Paraguayan country people.

Ñanderu Guasu our Great Father created the Earth. With him was Ñanderu Mba’e Kuaa our Knowing Father. Ñanderu Guasu and Ñandesy our Mother lived together in the newly created Earth. One day Ñanderu Guasu said, let’s prepare a piece of land to plant maize so they burned a small piece of forest preparing the land to sow. They seeded the soil and went back home. The maize grew immediately. The next day Ñanderu Guasu told Ñandesy to harvest the maize and prepare “mbalpy” a corn flour stew but Ñandesy didn’t believe the maize could be ready for harvest so soon. Without a word Ñanderu Guasu put on his ritual clothes and left far away from Earth to the mythical mountains of Yvytymi. Because of Ñandesy’s disbelief we now have to wait to harvest our crops.

Ñandesy, who was pregnant of Kuarahy, took her basket or “ajo” with her and went out in search of Ñanderu Guasu. The unborn Kuarahy guided her in the journey to Yvytymi. But on the road she was killed and eaten by the Añag the wicked beings living in the forest. The Añag’s grandmother then raised the small Kuarahy.

Kuarahy wondered in the forest giving names to ‘panambi’ or butterflies and as doing so created many different species of birds each one created from one different kind of butterfly. Butterflies in the Guarani culture are considered undetermined beings.

Not wanting to be alone, one day he found human bones in the bushes and praying to them created Jasy his twin brother. The bones he prayed to were his mother’s but he didn’t know that yet.

A “parakao” or parrot was sent by Ñanderu Guasu to tell Kuarahy the truth of his mother’s killing by the Añag. Kuarahy and Jasy designed traps to hunt the Añag. They also created Mboi jagua the mythical giant snake to fight the Añag, killing all of them including their grandmother.

Going to where his mother’s bones were Kuarahy prayed and danced around them to revive her but each time she was starting to sit up Jasy, who was very impulsive, would fling over her and her bones fell back to the ground. Jasy’s uncontrollable conduct distracted Kuarahy’s efforts and this is the reason why death now exists on Earth.

Kuarahy transformed the Earth for Jasy creating fruits and honey which should be our diet now. He also induced the “kururu” or frog to steal the fire that was watched over by the “Yryvu” or white crow so we can use it for our benefit.

One day when Kuarahy created the sugarcane Jasy tried to do the same but made a mistake and it came out he had created a Mboi or snake.

But Kuarahy and Jasy wanted to finish what their mother had started; this is to continue the journey to Yvytymi, the mythical mountains where Ñanderu Guasu resides. To do so they built a bridge made of arrows that carried them up to the sky. Once there Kuarahy, who was stable and constant, was assigned the function of the Sun and Jasy who was the opposite assumed the function of the Moon.

In everyday Guarani language Kuarahy means Sun and Jasy Moon so, wherever you now are you can watch them over your head. Jasy’s inconstant ways are reflected in the Moon phases while the Sun’s reliable light and heat reflects the personality of Kuarahy. Just for fun, every now and then Jasy keeps putting himself on the way of Kuarahy to produce Sun eclipses.

The Guarani people consider their life is a journey to Yvytymi the perfect world or “land without evil” where Ñanderu Guasu, Kuarahy and Jasy live. The actual culture of Paraguay keeps many of the teachings and traditions contained in the Myth of the Twins.

The Seven Evil Brothers

The myth of the Seven Evil Brothers is very popular in the culture of Paraguay. I have found many Paraguayans believe some of these wicket characters really exist. Some of them have similitude with European Middle Age myths and were born to explain the unexplainable, strange things that happen to people in the immense forests of Paraguay.

The story says that in the early times of the origins of humanity Tupá the supreme god of the Guaranis created Angatupyry the spirit of good and Taú the spirit of evil and put them on Earth to show humans the ways of life. In other words, this is the introduction of the concept of “free will” in the culture of Paraguay.

In the original Guarani tribe lived Keraná (that means “who likes to sleep”) a beautiful girl who passed her days sleeping, daughter of Marangatú who was one of the sons of Rupavé and Sypavé the original parents of humanity.

Taú the spirit of evil desired Keraná and to attract her transformed himself into a handsome young man and fascinated her with the playing of his magic flute. Taú kidnapped Keraná but Arasy the mother of the heavens and Tupá’s wife cursed Taú and all his offspring.

Tejú-Jagua

Keraná, permanently besieged by Taú gave birth every seven months and on her first delivery was born a monster of seven dog heads with flaming eyes and a body of an alligator; seven heads that condemned the monster to inaction because they could never agree what to do. He was later named Tejú-Jagua that means Alligator-Dog. His scary appearance didn’t match with his eating habits as he ate only fruits and honey that had to be provided to him by his future brother Jasy-Jateré.

Aó Aó

Aó Aó is an animal that looks like a sheep but is cannibal, armed with powerful claws he uses to tear up his preys Aó Aó eats any person he finds on his way. He dominates the hills of the forest. It is said he has several offspring all cannibal and ferocious like him with whom he goes out in search of people to hunt and eat. If the victim tries to save himself climbing to a tree the group surrounds the tree and to the scream of “aó-aó-aó-aó!” they dig the roots of the tree until it falls.

Don’t forget to climb to a Pindó tree when you find a “sheep” in the Iguassu Falls jungle!Here's a picture of one so you know how it looks like.

Jasy-Jateré the Lord of the Bees

One of the many curiosities of the culture of Paraguay is it is widely believed by Paraguayan women that eating lots of honey during pregnancy produces blonde children. Blonde and naughty children in Paraguay are also commonly nicknamed as Jasy-Jateré some sort of Guarani version of “Denice the Menace”.

Jasy-Jateré that means “piece of the moon” in obvious reference to Jasy the also naughty twin brother of Kuarahy (see above the myth of the Twins) is Keraná’s fourth offspring. At first she was delighted with him, she thought, finally I’m giving birth to a human being and not a monster! A beautiful blonde child with no apparent deformity!

In the culture of Paraguay Jasy-Jateré is the elf of the nap (yes, the right time to do naughty things). He knows how to imitate the signing of birds and his whistling has the magic to sound strong when he is far away and weak when he is near. He can transform himself into a friendly and tame bird and does this to attract lonely children at noon. When a child tries to catch him he jumps to the next branch of the tree and does this many times moving from one tree to the next. Without noticing it the boy or girl finds himself lost in the deepness of the forest and this is when Jasy-Jateré shows himself as he really is, a naked dwarf with blonde curled hair and big penetrating blue eyes holding a walking stick.

Jasy-Jateré loves to play with children. From the moment that a lonely kid sees him he will be under his spell and fallow him wherever he goes. They will walk into unknown places of the deep jungle and Jasy-Jateré will gather tasty fruits and invent all kinds of games for his new friend. They will ride on tapirs, jaguars and deer’s, search for bird nests and make the eggs hatch with a touch of his magic stick. They will cover themselves with a magic mud that makes them invisible to steal honey from honeycombs and many other fun things.

But things go wrong when Jasy-Jateré wants to kiss his friend in the mouth. This kiss burns and destroys like fire. The kissed boy or girl becomes mute and faints; unable to play any longer Jasy-Jateré abandons him tangled in the lianas of a tree and goes out in search of another playing companion.

The culture of Paraguay holds this story as one of its favorites, told by Paraguayan mothers to her children so they don’t do naughty things while she is napping. Beware of Jasy-Jateré when you are walking those deep rainforest trails around the Iguassu Falls he might appear to you as an innocent and beautiful bird!

Kurupí the Genius of Fecundity

This popular myth of the culture of Paraguay probably was born to give an acceptable explanation to a delicate social problem, furtive sex and unwanted pregnancies of Paraguayan adolescents. When a young female family member gets pregnant and the father is not revealed by the girl this may be explained with “she was touched by Kurupí”. It was tradition in Paraguay of the old times to keep girls strictly isolated from boys and the extreme jealousy of their fathers made them do things like escaping from home during the noon hours while Mom and Dad were napping to see the boy she knew during the Sunday Mass celebration.

Kurupí is the protector of forests, of fruit trees, abundant harvests and timely rains. Hidden seeds wake up to life, rocks get covered with green and flowers open full with pollen when he passes near them. If he touches a pregnant cow she will deliver twin calves that will grow strong and healthy. His feet look backwards to mislead those who dare to follow him.

There are only two ways to save you from Kurupí, to cutoff his penis or to climb to a fruit tree. Remember to carry a sharp knife with you when walking in the forests of the Iguassu Falls!

There is much, much more to know about myths and legends in the culture of Paraguay. I would say the Paraguayan mythology is comparable to the Greek in variety of stories and fabulous characters, a subject I love and plan to write more about (an e-book maybe?).

But there is one more legend I want to tell about right know. This legend has to do with a dramatic piece of Paraguayan history. I selected it because in some way it also is related with the Iguassu Falls. By now I hope you understand that visiting the the Iguassu Falls without knowing about Paraguay is like visiting the Nile river without knowing about Egypt. Once more I’m surprised to see that many Paraguayans believe this legend is true, in other words, it is a living legend of the unique culture of Paraguay.

The Forge of War

No other country in the America’s has suffered the calamities of war like Paraguay and war has left its mark in the culture of Paraguay. During the 1865-1870 war against Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay Paraguay lost more than 60% of its male population in the battle fields. During the last years of the war and due to the extermination of its regular army thousands of 10-15 year old children were drafted to the fronts and to a sure death. Many already widowed mothers (who also fought) fallowed their children to war. According to war reports of the time many children wore fake mustaches and beards to simulate they were adults. Paraguay as it was before the war was gone forever.

Before the Great War Paraguay was a prosperous and independent country, by far the most developed economy in South America. Public education was very advanced and used by the neighboring countries as a model to imitate. Paraguay had developed a railroad, an extensive road system and the largest national merchant navy of the region used to drive its economy based on exports of “yerba mate” (a green leaf herb widely consumed as an infusion) to Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil and sugarcane and wood to Europe. With the know-how of very well paid European technicians it had developed its own iron and steel and ship-building industry and practiced a strict protectionist policy on imports. With consistent trade surpluses, no public debt, a very strong currency and ever growing gold reserves Paraguay was then the ideal of a prosperous well managed country. But the dark clouds of wrong political decisions and war were appearing in the horizon. Francisco Solano Lopez was the President of Paraguay and Commander in Chief of the Paraguayan Army.

The Great War marked the culture of Paraguay in dramatic ways. One is it gave origin to a curious legend that has to do with hidden treasures and human greed.

Madame Lynch and The legend of the Plata-Yvyguy (buried treasure)

Every now and then I read ads in Paraguayan newspapers that read “Metal Detectors for Sale”. Curious about knowing why Paraguayans are interested in these devices I discovered they are related with a popular legend that forms part of the culture of Paraguay. Paraguayans use metal detectors to find “Plata-Yvyguy”!

When the Great War’s grim outcome was clear many wealthy Paraguayan families buried their jewels and precious belongings in secret places with the hope of coming back for them during the difficult times that were coming. The burials were made at night and far away from curious eyes. Only one or two members of the family new the exact place of the burial to protect themselves but many carried the secret to the tomb during the war and those treasures still remain buried today.

Many buried their belongings to evade the government’s unlimited thirst for resources to finance the war. Others were more worried with the selfish ambitions of a woman. The President of Paraguay at the time was Francisco Solano Lopez, he had a mistress popularly known as “Madame Lynch” of whom the story tells was the true boss of the country.

According to the legend, using the power that her social position gave her Madame Lynch visited wealthy families to confiscate their gold and jewels supposedly to finance the cause of the war. She really wanted the treasures for herself, which were carefully put inside barrels and buried in secret places by a soldier of her confidence (maybe her lover?). After the soldier finished his duty Madame Lynch killed and buried him with the treasure to keep the secret of the burial.

The legend says that if you walk during the night near one of Madame’s buried treasures the ghost of the murdered soldier will appear to you to show the place of the burial. Paraguayans actually use metal detectors to locate the treasure in the surrounding area where the ghost was sited.

So if you hear or see strange things at night when walking in open and lonely areas or inside an old house in Paraguay, people will say that you may be lucky to find “Plata-Yvyguy” or buried gold.

The sudden and unexplained wealth of a person in Parauguay is also commonly attributed to the finding of “Plata-Yvyguy”.

Written history says something different about Elisa Lynch. After the Great War ended and with Francisco Solano López dead she was expelled from Paraguay which confirms she wasn’t liked by Paraguayans of the time. She went back to Paris where she lived her last years in poverty and forgotten by everyone. If she had gathered treasures for herself during the war, how is it she ended her life so miserably? Was she victim of envy of the Paraguayans who didn’t like to see a foreigner as the President’s illegitimate companion? The story of Elisa Lynch is that of an ambitious woman who had left Ireland escaping from the “potato famine” and settled in Paris. There she became a “courtesan” and during this time she met Francisco a young, educated and wealthy son of the most powerful man in Paraguay. Francisco convinced her to go with him back to Paraguay (or was she who convinced him?). When Francisco’s father died he soon became President of Paraguay and Elisa was his inseparable companion until his death. Francisco never married her so she was not heir to his fortune. Whatever is the truth about Elisa Lynch the fact is she is the center of a very popular Paraguayan legend and part of the culture of Paraguay.

The culture of Paraguay is rich with traditions, stories and legends orally transmitted from one generation to the next. Paraguayan children love to hear their elders tell them these stories, stories that are told in Guarani and treasured by Paraguayans as the essence of their history and identity.

San Juan Celebration in June

If you visit Iguassu Falls during June and want to experience the culture of Paraguay and one of the most popular and interesting Paraguayan traditional celebrations this can be one good reason to lodge in Ciudad del Este when visiting Iguassu Falls.

San Juan Celebration or “Fiesta de San Juan” in Spanish is a pagan-Christian tradition with roots in medieval Spain that commemorates St. John the Baptist but the real motive is gathering to ware traditional and extravagant costumes...

Experiencing this pure Paraguayan tradition is maybe the best single event you can participate in to learn about the culture of Paraguay and Paraguayan people.

The exact date of this celebration is June 24th but Fiestas de San Juan are celebrated throughout the month of June all over the country and extensively in Ciudad del Este so, no matter the date as long as it is June you will have plenty of chances of participating in one if you are lodging in one of the hotels in Ciudad del Este. Just let your hotel know that you want to participate in a Fiesta de San Juan while staying there and they will make all the necessary arrangements for you.