Fun and festivities in Uruguay - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

December 25 is a holiday in Uruguay just like in the rest of the Catholic world, but local people celebrate not Christmas but Day of the Family. Even though Uruguayans decorate their houses and streets with Christmas garlands, they have met their relatives and feasted together on December 25 for more than a century. On this day, locals drink wine and try not to go outside much because of the heat. The holiday season lasts until January 6. The whole country participates in parties and other festive activities. This is not the best time to visit Uruguay because local hotels are always full. Local people also like celebrating the New Year Eve on the beach. Uruguayans have interesting festive dishes that protect them from the heat, for example, a fruit salad sprinkled with Fanta. Superstitious people eat lentils to attract wealth to their houses and 12 grape berries for good luck. On midnight, they go outside with suitcases to travel next year and pour some water behind the entrance door as a way to say goodbye to all troubles. Many avoid eating chicken meat in order not to repeat old mistakes.

Epiphany, as well as Children’s Day, is celebrated on January 6 in Uruguay. Local people dance, sing songs, and feat on this holiday. Kings’ ring is the traditional dessert for Epiphany. This is a round-shaped cake with fruit that has a hole in the middle, and a figurine of baby Jesus is put into this hole. Children leave bowls with water and velour grasses or vegetables for wise men’s camels near their shoes, and parents fill their shoes with gifts at night. Festivities and divine services in churches are common in Uruguay on this holiday. There can be parades in big cities with real camels and people dressed as wise men. Fans of jazz who visit Uruguay in January simply ought to arrive in Mercedes because this city hosts the annual Jazz Festival. More than a hundred of jazzmen perform on the street scene. There are also many professional and amateur jazz musicians who play their music on many streets of the city.

On February 2, there are always many people on Uruguay’s beaches. These are people who practice Candomblé, Afro-Brazilian religious tradition. They come to pray to the goddess of the sea. People light candles, pray, dance, sing, make picnics, come into the water and sail paper ships with flowers, food, and other gifts. This is a peaceful ceremony that attracts many Uruguayans. February 20 is the start of the Carnival in Uruguay. The colorful event lasts more than a month. The whole country has fun. For tourists, this is an excellent opportunity to see grandiose parades in the capital. Energetic music, people in fancy outfits who sing and dance, satirical plays performed by street theaters that look like small musicals – the Carnival offers all these and much more. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The week of tourism is a holiday with a changing date. As a rule, it falls to the end of March and the beginning of April. Even though this is the time for Easter, church and government are divided in Uruguay, so local people enjoy celebrating this holiday, having fun, and traveling. On April 19, the whole country celebrates Landing of the 33 Patriots Day. On this day in 1825, a group of revolutionaries returned to Uruguay in order to claim independence from Brazil. It took them less than half a year to make this dream come true. May 1 is the International Labor Day that Uruguay often celebrates with parades.

The Battle of Las Piedras was fought on May 18, 1811. This is an important event in the history of Uruguayan struggle for independence. On this day, Uruguayans battled with the Spanish and won. Nowadays, Las Piedras is a tranquil city not far from Montevideo. This is an official day off in the country. On June 19, the country celebrates the birthday of José Gervasio Artigas Arnal who is a national hero in Uruguay. He was one of the leaders of the national movement against Spanish and Portuguese invaders. The name of the brave revolutionary, who died in poverty and obscurity far away from the land that he was fighting for, was belied. However, everything changed close to the end of the 19th century, and now there are many monuments dedicated to this person in Uruguay, and José Gervasio Artigas Arnal is often called “the father of Uruguayan nationhood”.

July 18 is the Day of Constitution that dates back to 1830, and August 25 is the Independence Day. This is the holiday when the country recalls its national heroes. Colorful parades and fireworks are essential for this holiday. Tourists will see flags of Uruguay in every yard. The Night of Nostalgia is the evening before Independence Day. This is an unofficial holiday. Old popular songs are played in local bars, clubs, and other venues, mostly pop, rock, and disco hits. On August 12, Uruguayans celebrate the second Children’s Day, and every child is sure to get presents on this holiday. Parents cook kids’ favorite food and try to pamper them.

The Discovery Day or Columbus Day falls on October 12. During this holiday, Uruguayans try to underline the importance of the culture of Latin America’s indigenous peoples and its impact on immigrants. Many people cook food that was common for Indians. November 2 is the Day of the Dead or All Saints’ Day in the country. Uruguayans visit cemeteries where they light candles to attract souls of the dead and put food on family altars so souls of their deceased relatives can have a feast. After this, a colorful parade takes place on the streets of many cities with skulls and skeletons playing the central role.