Origin of Tango and Meaning of Garua

The Tango

Tango, music and dance — both born from a blend of cultures and customs forged in the Río de la Plata, where Argentina and Uruguay meet, enriched by the rhythms and spirit of immigrants. Tango is a descendant of African rhythms that fused with local trends. First came candombe, then milonga, and later, tango.

Lunfardo, the slang of the lower-class neighborhoods at the time, was its first language, but its humble and suburban spirit was its true birthmark — creating a rhythm now universally known that brings people and cultures closer together.

The Garua

The garua — that fine, persistent rain — is the protagonist of a famous tango by Aníbal Troilo, whose name immediately evokes melancholy and emotion. In Bilbao, we call it txirimiri, and this similarity inspired the name of our association. Its lyrics express sorrow, loneliness, and nostalgia with verses like:

“What a night full of weariness and cold! The wind brings a strange sorrow... The night seems like a well of shadows, and I, in the shadows, walk very slowly! Meanwhile, the garua deepens its sting in my heart...”

An intangible connection between feeling and landscape, between verses and cities, between Buenos Aires and the Basque Country.

If tango resonates with you too, perhaps you’d like to join us