Patty P · Public domainLa chipa de Semana Santa
At Easter, chipa is baked in the tatakua oven and for many families it is the only food eaten on Good Friday.
What it is
Chipa is eaten all year, but at Easter it takes center stage. Catholic families make large batches to share with relatives and friends, and in many homes it is the only food on Good Friday. ABC reports an estimate that 93% of households make or buy it in those days. It is baked in the tatakua, a vaulted brick oven on a stone base. According to an ABC report, Holy Wednesday is devoted to chipa, and Holy Thursday to ryguasu ka’e (oven-roasted chicken), roasts and sopa paraguaya or chipa guasu. Because the dough has no yeast, historian Margarita Miró argues that chipa was “sacred bread” in the rites of Guaraní Catholicism, at Christmas, Easter and the Day of the Cross.
Ingredients
History
Chipa is a Guaraní–Spanish legacy. Since 2015, the second Friday of August has been celebrated as National Chipa Day in Paraguay.
Did you know…?
An ABC piece estimates that each person eats about 2.3 kg of chipa a year, and that the bakery industry recorded 12% more production for the festive season.
When
Holy Week, especially Holy Wednesday and Good Friday.
Where
In homes across the country, in the interior with the tatakua oven; also in bakeries and fairs of the season.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 5 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.