La Siesta

One of the most distinct traditions Americans notice when in Argentina is la siesta [lah syes-tah]. Many Argentines wake up early in the morning to work. The men usually go to work and the women usually clean the house, buy food for lunch, and get everything ready for when the husband comes home for lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in both quantity of food and importance for the family. The whole family is usually together and the meals are usually excellent. After lunch, children go to school and many times the adults take a nap. Depending on the region and climate, this nap can last between thirty minutes and three hours or more. It seems that the hotter and more rural a city is, the more likely its inhabitants will sleep longer after lunch.

Can you blame them? Have you ever felt tired after a big meal, like Thanksgiving? While everyday Argentine lunches aren't as big as a holiday feast here in the US or there in Argentina, they are filling. And imagine if its 110 degrees outside! You definitely don't want to be out in that heat working with a full stomach. You might prefer to sleep or spend some more time with your family. This is why Argentines value the siesta so much. By taking it, they have more quality time to rest and spend time with the family. They value work, but see relationships as something important to establish and maintain as well.

There are parts of the country where everything literally shuts down from 1 to 4 pm. During this time you will have a hard time getting a lot of things you might be looking for. This is especially true if what you want is not a basic need, like food. Everything closes down because everyone is home eating or resting. Yet there are also places like Buenos Aires (generally the bigger cities are the same) where the city doesn't slow down too much. In a big city, life is more fast-paced and work is done in air-conditioned buildings. In the country, however, the work is slower and the heat makes farmers think twice about working in the early afternoon. They prefer to get up early and make up for lost sleep during the siesta. All in all, the siesta is a tradition that many Americans don't like but also don't understand. It is not a sign of laziness, but instead a way for Argentines to make effective use of their time to work, cultivate family and friend relationships, and enjoy life. Check out these pictures of some siesta sleepers. The last one is what some places look like during the siesta. (People refer to the nap as a siesta, and also call the time period right after lunch the siesta.)