Fiesta de la Tradición, San Antonio de Areco, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Anselmoes Maciel / wikimedia / 2017 / CC BY-SA 4.0
The 10th of November is “Tradition Day Argentina” (“Día de la Tradición” or “Fiesta de la Tradición”).
It celebrates Argentina’s “wild west” culture and heritage from the days of the “gaucho“, which was the Argentine version of a cowboy. The gaucho Argentino tradition had its own lifestyle, customs and codes of honour.
The centre of the activities is San Antonio de Areco, in the north of Buenos Aires province, as it is considered the classic gaucho Argentino town.
The day is not an official public holiday but it is widely celebrated. The festivities in San Antonio de Areco start about a week before, and climax on the actual day.
There is folk dancing, carnivals, shows of equestrian skills, horse shows, parades with marching bands, open-air concerts, parties, and rodeos. A big gaucho parade is held in San Antonio de Areco on the Sunday closest to November 10.
Fiesta de la Tradición, San Antonio de Areco, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Anselmoes Maciel / wikimedia / 2017 / CC BY-SA 4.0
There is also lots of eating, and this being Argentina, much of the eating of course revolves around barbeque, particularly asado-style.
Other foods will include empanadas, dulce de leche, and of course lots of Argentine wine.
#DiaDeLaTradicion #Argentina
See also: Independence Day Argentina, World Malbec Day
Fiesta de la Tradición, San Antonio de Areco, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Anselmoes Maciel / wikimedia / 2017 / CC BY-SA 4.0
History
The 10th of November is the birthday of Jose Hernandez, a poet who wrote a lot about the daily life of the Argentine gauchos, particularly his epic poems about an archetypal gaucho named “Martín Fierro” (part 1 was published in 1872 and part 2, the Return of Martín Fierro, in 1879.) Hernandez was born on the 10th of November 1834 (he died 21 October 1886).
Observance of the day was approved by a resolution of the Buenos Aires provincial government in August 1939 (Law No. 4756/39), though it applied just to Buenos Aires province. It was first observed in November that same year, and was particularly observed in San Antonio de Areco.
In 1975, the national government of Argentina extended observance to the whole country (Law No. 21154/1975).
Resources
Martín Fierro by José Hernández (in Spanish)
Short video on the gaucho culture
Sources
Bailey, Johanna. World of Mouth: The Day of the Gaucho. Jerusalem, Israel: The Jerusalem Post. 9 November 2020. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.jpost.com/food-index/world-of-mouth-the-day-of-the-gaucho
Día de la Tradición. Dirección General de Escuelas de la Provincia de Mendoza. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.mendoza.edu.ar/10-de-noviembre-qdia-de-la-tradicionq/
Día de la Tradición. Government of Cordoba. 9 November 2018. Accessed October 2021 at http://prensa.cba.gov.ar/cultura-y-espectaculos/dia-de-la-tradicion/
Hoy en la Argentina se celebra el Día de la Tradición. Vida Positiva. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.vidapositiva.com/hoy-en-la-argentina-se-celebra-el-dia-de-la-tradicion
World Nomads Insurance. Día de la Tradición (Tradition Day), Argentina. 19 October 2009. Accessed October 2021 at https://journals.worldnomads.com/worldfestivals/story/36143/Argentina/November-Da-de-la-Tradicin-Argentina