Argentina Celebrates Mate Drink

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Argentineans are a diverse set of people but one uniting factor that rises above everything is their shared love for a drink containing dried leaves and yerba mate.

In January of this year it was decided that Nov. 30 would be the National Day of Mate in Argentina and today marks the first occasion of the now annual event.

Nov. 30 is the birth date of Andres Guazurari, the first and only indigenous man to become a federal governor. 

Today on Nov. 30 for the first time the National Mate Day is being celebrated

Mate is more than just a drink for Argentineans and other South American peoples. The drink is seen to promote friendship, have health benefits and maintain the Guarani culture.

In a statement, the National Yerba Mate Institute outlined the health benefits the drink can give, "If the traditional form of mate is used the drink will provide the body with a large amount of polyphenols, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and xanthines. Polyphenols act as a powerful antioxidant, helping to increase defenses and reduce cellular aging.”

"Potassium and magnesium are essential substances for the proper functioning of the heart and xanthines (caffeine, theobromine) are compounds that stimulate the nervous system,” the insitute added.  

According to the National Yerba Mate Institute, Argentina consumes 256 million kilos of yerba mate annually, which equates to each Argentine drinking 6.4 kilos a year. The institute also said that yerba mate was present in 90 percent of households in the country.

The Gurarani people are believed to be the first cultivators and consumers of the drink. The consumption of yerba mate became widespread after the Spanish colonization of Paraguay in the late 16th century as they began transporting the drink with them across South America. During the 17th century, mate consumption then spread to the Rio de la Plata and Chile. 

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