Virgen de las Mercedes
Patron-saint festival · Caraguatay
What it is
Official and student ceremonies and a big festival of music and social dancing.
Falls on the town's founding anniversary.
The fiesta patronal (patron saint's festival) is the biggest day of the year in every Paraguayan town. It honors the local patron saint or Virgin with a novena (nine days of prayer), a serenade on the eve, a main Mass and a procession with a brass band, firecrackers and flags. Then comes the secular side: a kermesse (village fair) on the plaza, karu guasu (a big communal feast), chipa (cheesy cassava bread) and sopa paraguaya (savory cornbread) at the food stalls, dancing, torín or Paraguayan-style bullfighting (the bull is never killed), jineteadas (rodeo-style bronc riding) and carreras de sortija (a horseback ring-lancing race). As a visitor, arrive early for the procession, be respectful during Mass, try the food cooked by the parish committees and ask for the program at the church: dates often shift to the nearest weekend.
Dates may shift to the nearest weekend.
What to see
Caraguatay · Cordillera
Parque Nacional Vapor Cué
An open-air naval museum: the ships the Paraguayan fleet scuttled in 1869 beside the Yhaguy River.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with — sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.