Encarnación prepares for third annual 'Sanjuanazo' traditional food festival

Encarnación, Paraguay, is preparing to host the third "Sanjuanazo de la Gobernación de Itapúa" on June 24. This gastronomic fair highlights traditional Paraguayan foods typically enjoyed during the winter season.

The event will take place on the grounds of the Itapúa Governorate, with about a dozen vendors from the Encarnación Metropolitan Area offering typical dishes from 8 a.m. to noon. Artistic performances are also scheduled to entertain attendees. A key feature of the "Sanjuanazo" is its focus on traditional winter cuisine, characterized by ingredients like starch, corn, and cassava, offering delicacies such as mbeju, pastel mandi'o, pajagua mascada, chipa asador, and butifarra.

Verónica Stefani, the Governorate's Secretary of Tourism, emphasized that the event's primary goal is to maintain local traditions. "More than aiming to be a big event, it has the purpose of maintaining our traditions," she stated.

The "Sanjuanazo" is part of the broader San Juan Ára festivities, celebrated annually on June 24 across Paraguay. This cultural celebration is a significant expression of Paraguayan identity, merging colonial Christian beliefs with indigenous Guaraní folklore and mysticism. Traditionally, San Juan Ára involves communal gatherings, traditional games involving fire, and symbolic rituals like walking on hot coals (tata ári jehasa) and burning effigies (Judas kái).