Important popular festivals of Missions

An excellent option to complement your visit to the Iguazu Falls are the important popular festivals of Missions. In addition to nature and fun, they enclose charm, magic, culture and tradition. Including one of these in your travel itinerary is the best thing you can do for a holiday in the province.

•         NATIONAL IMMIGRANT FESTIVAL

It is held every year during the first days of September in the Parque de las Naciones, based in the city of Oberá. Usually, the festival takes place on a site of about 10 hectares where each collective has its house or space to present.

Since 1980, in Oberá, inhabitants of Missions and the whole country gather to show their typical houses, meals, costumes, music, dance and crafts. The holiday lasts a week and is complemented by sports and cultural, recreational and social activities.

What makes this festival special is the reunion between locals and visitors who exchange cultures: the tables full of the exquisite dishes typical of each collective one of its main attractions. It’s an excellent opportunity to try and revel in the cuisine of other countries.

You don’t have to put aside the high-level artistic shows, where the dances of each community also participate. Meanwhile, throughout the property are agricultural and industrial trade exhibitions of the region. Also, a Craft Fair with products made by Argentine and foreign talent.

One of the most outstanding activities is the election of the Virtual Queen of immigrants, in which all the people of the world have the possibility to participate by voting through a website.

Among the largest and most important communities presented are: French, German, Nordic (consisting of representatives of Norway, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark), Switzerland, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Japanese, Brazilian, Paraguayan, Arabic and Peruvian, among others.

•         NATIONAL YERBA MATE FESTIVAL

In the town of Apóstoles, 68 kilometers from Posadas, capital of the province of Misiones, is celebrated the National Festival of the Yerba Mate, a very consumed product in the country.

Since the Guarani began using the Yerba Mate, it has taken a lot of prominence throughout the territory of Missions. So, so much that it was established as the most representative product of the region. In fact, these are considered the best weeds to prepare the typical Argentine drink known as mate.

The celebration takes place in the third week of November with the help of the most important artists of Argentine folk music. Its purpose? To enhance the daily work and effort of all the people who work in the production and elaboration of the Yerba Mate.

The fairgrounds, which is where the festival is held, offer musical and humor shows, stands, lunch of the weed producers and, finally, the Order of the Yerba Mate award is presented. Of course, there can be no lack of queen selection who bears the same name of the holiday.

•         NATIONAL ORCHID AND PROVINCIAL FLOWER FESTIVAL

For flower lovers, this party should be a must of your visit to Missions. Since 1983, it has taken place in Vortisch Monte Carlo Park, as this city is considered national capital of the Orchid.

During the feast that takes place on the first fortnight of October, huge pavilions full of Orchids are exhibited. At the same time, symposia and informative talks are held on topics such as cultivation and care of orchids and other flowers, having as a main goal to promote the activity of the country’s florists, orchidophiles and environmentalists.

There are also different types of contests such as: park, gardens, stained glass and, of course, the best Orchid. In addition, usually, if the weather allows, the Orchid Marathon (where athletes from the different locations of the province participate) is carried out and the Orchid Walk is performed (with the participation of neighbors and visitors).

The closing of the festivities is nothing less than the election of the National Queen of the Orchid and the Provincial Queen of the Flower, awarded to outstanding species and florists. Live this celebration and discover why it’s one of the most important and popular festivals of Missions.

•         CHRISTMAS PARTY

Due to the large number of Christian immigrants that the province of Misiones has received since 1995 in the town of Alem, the Provincial Festival of Christmas began to be held, which was later considered a national holiday.

This is a Christmas expo. A space dedicated to local churches exposing the origin of their cults and how they relate to the birth of Jesus. In addition, each church has stands with local handicrafts.

In this sense, the festival is religious in nature. However, it can also be enjoyed by visitors to other creeds as there are plenty of family activities such as pet parade, Christmas-themed decorative part workshops, Christmas story contest and float parade.

At the same time, there are samples of mangers, gastronomic courtyard and allegory of Santa Missionary, where children can interact with this character. That said, if you want to know about the diverse activities that you can do with your kids, we invite you to consult this article about traveling with children to Iguazu.

These are the important popular festivals of Missions, if your visit coincides with the date of any of these do not hesitate to include it in your itinerary! Experiencing these festivals is magical and our travel specialists can help you love your schedule with the best attractions in the province, including these celebrations.  Contact us!