Argentina is a country with a diversity of traditions and cultural features that is reflected in the festivities, fairs, congresses among others. The festivals are the maximum representation of cultural encounter that shows the best of Argentina about its history, art, politics and others. For example, art is always present in the most important festivals in the world and Argentina contains many popular festivals. This nation contains many important festivals that are part of the history of Latin America for its art, music and literature. It is an excellent place to live unforgettable artistic experiences reflected in great festivals with a worldwide influence, that promote the artistic and cultural traditions of this Latin region.
National Festival of Folklore of Cosquín
It is the most important Argentine festival of folk music celebrated in January, that consists of the religious celebration carried out in this month, in which the Ninth is made by the Virgin of Rosario (patron saint of the city). It is performed for nine consecutive nights in the month of January, in the city of Cosquin. This city is the place where the novena meeting is held under the nine moons with a cultural character where religious activities and meetings of people, who share the same beliefs and doctrines as part of Argentine traditions, are carried out.
The common activities are religious vigils, prayers and chants typical of ecclesiastical activities with cultural features in which there is the participation of artists, singers and lecturers, with themes of doctrines in common and with equality of belief. It is carried out through a festival that gives importance to the event and makes it a famous novena with a great religious trajectory that has been maintained for decades in the country. The believers of Christianity and the Virgin are happy to participate in these activities.
This festival is held every year in the month of October in the city of Cosquín and has grown over the past few years becoming one of the most important festivals in Argentina in recent decades. His fame has spread throughout the world, thanks to the repercussions of his activities and the meaning in the artistic, religious and cultural world of Argentina. It contains several fundamental aspects of the Argentinean traditions and has historical interest that can cause an impression among visitors and tourists who arrive to the country for the first time in these dates.
It is a pleasant and satisfying way to participate in religious and cultural activities, expressing interest in receiving relevant knowledge about the historical aspects of a country. Argentina has great cultural features wrapped in interesting traditions and festivities that produce sensations in visitors and tourists around the world. The National Festival of Folklore of Cosquín is an extraordinary event that envelops people in the highest expressions of art, tradition and artistic evolutions typical of Argentina and that extend throughout the world.
Carnival Festival in Argentina
The Carnivals Festival is celebrated every year in Argentina. Carnival is a very important event in all parts of the world, due to its origin, history and characteristics that have a meaning and representation in the history of each country. The most important festivals in Argentina are precisely those of carnival,because it is a celebration that takes place in times close to Holy Week and with great world importance. As in almost all countries in Argentina, carnival is also celebrated around three consecutive days in January; With picturesque, dynamic and cultural activities manifested through traditional parades with costumes and interesting events full of folklore, music and art related to cultures of each country and combinations of international cultures.
The Argentine carnival festivals are similar to the Brazilian festivals, for example there is an Argentine festival, called “Carnivals in streams”, which are held mostly at night in parades that run through the main streets of the city. Another important carnival festival in Argentina is the “Carnival of free step” known as “Cradle of the Argentine Carnival “. This is located in regions of the Brazilian border and the influence of the culture of this country has a great impact on this festival.
These festivals are popular for their dances and traditional parades with trips close to the Carnival Museum in Argentina. The Carnival Libreño is another popular Argentine festival held on street Colón, with special activities and parades typical for these festivals. The Monte Caseros carnival is also another very important festival that has been practiced in local clubs for several decades.
LGBT Pride March
This is a world festival that takes place in Argentina as part of the country’s gay pride and that has been going on for several decades since the first festival in the nation appeared in 1992. This festival is celebrated every year in November and consists of the demonstration of the gay pride in defense and solidarity of the community of Argentina and the rest of the world. It is practiced the first Saturday of November of each year. The first edition of the festival took place with the attendance of few people and continues, every year it increasedin popularityuntil the present.
This festival takes place every year in the month of November in the Plaza de Mayo from early hours of the day in which the organizers of the event aspire to the concentration of thousands of people from Argentina and other countries. In the festival there are activities of congresses, conferences, music, dance and other important events. The celebrations are at several hours of the day and night with long duration and several consecutive days, to provide support to the entire gay community of the country and the rest of the world.
Here expressions of emotion and pride are manifested in favor of sexual conditions of individuals who decide to determine the path of their lives under their own preferences and not moralities or traditions. The participants of the gay pride festival seek to defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, among others through public acts for the maximum expression of support for the community.
The struggle for equal rights is the main reason for the festival to express the rejection of harmful acts against humanity of these people. Apart from defending gay pride, we seek to establish laws that protect people in this community from crimes and acts of violence associated with this. This festival has been one of the ways of defense for the gay community, that has achieved to legalize gay marriage in Argentina and obtain the implementation of identity documents and legal codes in favor of the gay community.
In 2015 the festival had a resounding success of attendance and demonstration with 200,000 people that exceeded the figure of the previous year, counting on a massive participation between acts and activities that celebrate gay pride and establishing an open defense towards gay people in Argentina. In addition, the festival has the participation of people from other countries that support the gay community; many of them are heterosexual people who fight in favor of social causes for the defense of human rights and social equality.
In terms of festivals, Argentina is a place of great shows and festivities, and these festivals are a maximum expression of this. The gay community chose this type of activity because it is a global battle of social struggle in which it seeks to establish equality of conditions, protection of human rights and prevention of crimes of violence and crimes. The festival is a way to acclaim respect and proclaim victory to the world over gender conditions that they believe should be legalized and above all respected.
During the beginning of the festival there is a tour that starts from the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, to the Square of the Two Congresses in a parade that crosses the streets with people full of joy, pride and expressions of social freedom. This festival represents one of the most important events in Latin America and a movement of social causes that seeks freedom and equality rights in favor of the integrity of the Argentine gay community and the whole world.
If you want to find out more about Argentina and what this beautiful country has to offer, next to these amazing festivals, make sure to check out the German website from Backpackertrail.
List of other major festivals of Argentina
- January – National Folklore Festival in Cosquín, National Festival of Chamamé, Night of the Arts Festival.
- February – Andean Carnival Festival, National Festival of the Apple, Salmon Festival.
- March- The Carrousel Festival, Festival of the Harvest and Central Act, National Festival of the Viennese Mass, Holy Week Festival on Vía Christi.
- April- International Independent Film Festival, Chocolate Festival, The Book Fair, Reading Festival.
- May – Iguazú in Concert.
- June- Patagonian New Year Festival, Festival the Parade of the Gauchos of Güemes, Festival theLongest Night in the World.
- July- Snow Festival in Bariloche, Chocolate Festival in Villa General Belgrano.
- August- National Dorado Festival Step of the Fatherland
- September – National Festival of The Immigrant or of the Collectivities.
- October – International Festival of Ushuaia, National Beer Festival, Festival of Cultural Diversity Week.
- November – Medieval Festival in Villa General Belgrano, National Festival of the Lamb in Puerto Madryn, Night of the Museums Festival in Buenos Aires.
- December – Citriculture Festival, Virgin of The Valley Festival, Festival of the Omelette Giant.
