Customs

In Uruguay, as it is an Agricultural & Livestock country, mainly cattle meat is consumed, following pork and mutton meat.  

Among the most traditional customs there is the mate, which is shared by neighbouring countries as well.

The mate  is an infusion that is prepared in a container called mate where you put dry ground leaves (and twigs) of yerba mate, coming from trees of the same name. Then you pour hot water and drink from a metal straw (bombilla in Spanish).

However, for an Uruguayan, unlike what happens in other countries, the mate is more than a simple infusion that is drank at breakfast or at tea time, it is a company anywhere and anytime. This is why it is very common to see people walking in the street with a mate in one hand and flask with hot water in the other.

Typical musical styles are candombe, tango, milonga and murga.

The murgas are the main attraction of the Uruguayan carnival, which is the longest in the world because it lasts 40 days and a lot of tourists attend it.

The murga is a music genre that consist of a chorus of around 15 people, accompanied by cymbal, bass drum and snare drum. They make theatrealized musicals singing songs whose themes are mainly events that ocurred during the year and social and political critic.

The main sport is football, which is a passion for Uruguayans.

The favourite teams are Peñarol and Nacional.

Uruguay was world champion in 1930 and 1950.