Yerba Mate, the Personal and Social Culture

In Uruguay it is common to see men and women walking around in shopping malls and on beaches carrying their mate gourds and thermoses of hot water. People who drink yerba mate do it as and entertainment form. Part of the new, more informal way of life in Uruguay includes having mate drinkers drinking while going for walks, while at sporting events, picnics, and it is popular among many student activities.

Mate is not just a “grab your cup o’ joe” morning and late afternoon beverage, mate is a beverage that uncovers the most essential simplicities of life. It’s a way of slowing down for a moment to enjoy a morning ritual that really puts life into perspective.

True, it’s good for the body, and it definitely makes one’s senses come to life, but it also makes one appreciate the simple things of life that all to often allowed to fall by the way side.

Drinking Mate is a form of meditation and reflection – it’s a perfect way to enjoy the solitude of the moment, but mate is also a social experience, a way to welcome people into you home. In the home’s of Argentines and Uruguayans, the cup is often shared among close friends and family - using the same straw, or bombilla. Sometimes it’s even share with strangers.

In some communities sharing a common bombilla is a sign of total acceptance and friendship. Like welcoming a new member to the group or into the family.
Farmers in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, will share a Mate at the end of a hard days work to enhance their bonds of companionship. In cities like Buenos Aires and Montevideo it's common to find a couple lying on the grass in a city park reading a book and drinking mate. Traditional gauchos would never deny the tired pampas traveler the courtesy of Mate, a warm fire, and good conversation.

In a traditional Mate setting, when an individual offers you mate, it should be regarded as a very high compliment, and one should be careful not to offend if they don’t agree to drink mate. Even people that don’t drink mate daily, often feel obligated to drink when they are surrounded by loved ones and are offered mate. There is something special, something about the bonds between friends and family that mate seems to awaken during these special settings.

Back