Every year on October 1, Paraguayans prepare a traditional dish named jopará [1] or yopará, stew type broth made out of different kinds of maize with beans and plenty bovine and pork meat, vegetables, sausages, amongo other ingredients.
It's costumary that October is a feared month, the harvesting is over, the sowing has ended and everybiody has to wait until the next harvest. If the individuals haven't been provident enough and haven't saved food, they can have a hard time. That's what author Dionisio González Torres writes in his book [2], “Folklore of Paraguay.”
According to the tradition, Karai Octubre (Mister October), a short, bearded old man, shows up on that day with his straw hat, a bag and a long rebenque (some kind of whip) to flog all those who haven't a prepared karu guasu (big meal), as González Torres explains.
The old man goes over all the houses and takes a look at every pot with the lunch of the day. If there is little food, he takes out pains and disgraces from his bag for all those who live in that house. If there is plenty of food, the old man just walks by and the family will be safe for the year:
Menú del día : Yopará para que Karai octubre pase de largo! pic.twitter.com/tjuwAqsbWt [3]
— Bibi Landó (@Bibilando) octubre 1, 2014 [4]
Daily special menu: Yopará so Karai octubre walks by!
POR MIS TEIRRAS YA SE SIENTE EL OLOR AL Rico Yopará para espantar a ‘Caraí Octubre’ http://t.co/oGNgpvHfJv [5] JOPARÁ pic.twitter.com/RgpXvSjIei [6]
— Chamigo Nac&Pop (@ChamigoF) octubre 1, 2014 [7]
All over my homeland you can already feel the scent of delicious Yopará to shoo ‘Caraí Octubre’ away.
Entonces Carlos Slim y Bill Gates quedaran pobres por no comer el Yopara? o como es el mito?
— MARLY MARLY (@Marly_Figueredo) octubre 2, 2014 [8]
So [Mexican communications mogul] Carlos Slim and [American owner of Microsoft] Bill Gates will be poor men for not eating Yopara? Or how does the myth go?