A traditional and very popular musical genre in Argentina, chamamé originates from the province of Corrientes, in the northeast of the country; it is also present in Paraguay and in certain parts of Brazil (e.g., Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul). A product of ethnic fusions that recount the history of the people and their landscape, it is sometimes called “gaucho music” and brings together cultural elements from the Guarani Indians, Spanish conquistadors, and Italian and German emigrants.
A form of cultural expression danced in couples, it consists of a “closed embrace” where the dancers move chest to chest and follow the music without any pre-established choreography

. Other elements related to the musiqueada, which corresponds to the festive moment, include the party, the invitation, the prayer, and the sapukay (a characteristic cry accompanied by a bodily movement intended to express deep emotions and sensations such as joy, sadness, pain, or courage). The instruments originally used were the violin and the vihuela, to which the guitar, harmonica, diatonic accordion, bandoneon, and double bass were added. There is also a marked alternation between the rhythmic and melodic parts. Furthermore, the songs have their origins in sung prayers. 

Traditionally, the lyrics and poetic texts were in Guaraní (an indigenous language); but today, oral traditions are transmitted in Yopará (a dialect that blends Spanish and Guaraní). Chamamé music and dance represent an important part of regional identity and play major social roles, as they are common elements found at community and family gatherings, religious celebrations, and other festive events. Chamamé emphasizes values such as love of the land, attachment to local flora and fauna, religious devotion, and a “way of being” (cf. a Guaraní expression referring to perfect harmony between human beings, nature, and spirituality).
Chamamé was originally created as a hymn of worship by the indigenous Guarani people living in the northeastern region of Argentina. For these agricultural people, this dance represented a prayer and a ritual. However, with the arrival of the Jesuits, the Spanish and the Germans, new instruments (such as the accordion and the guitar) were incorporated and the ancestral meaning of chamamé was modified to become a popular musical genre throughout the country as known today.