News alert to some, Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is not Mexican Independence Day. (So now you’re thinking, why did I drink all that tequila for on Cinco de Mayo?) Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates Mexico’s freedom from France in 1862 where a small band of Mexican soldiers were victorious over a much better-equipped French army.
Every September 15th and 16th Mexicans colourfully commemorate the War of Independence with huge celebrations all across Mexico. Back in 1810, a heroic priest named Father Miguel Hidalgo called on his congregation in the little town of Dolores outside Mexico City to fight for independence from Spain. After an 11 year hard-fought battle, in the end Spain got handed her hat.
We celebrated Canada Day this past July during our summer visit to Playa del Carmen, displaying our nationalism by wearing Canada Day T-shirts and hats. We were enthusiastically joined by Mexicans who understand the true meaning of celebrating your heritage and culture. And boy would I LOVE to be there for the kick-off September 15th to join in and celebrate their independence with all the exuberant folks we’ve met along the way!
To get an idea about how Independence Day is celebrated in Mexico, I asked our friend Jaime Solares, who lives in Playa del Carmen with his wife and three children, how they celebrate this festive holiday.
With great pride Jaime says September is “patriotic month” in Mexico where you’ll find flags waving from almost every house and building. And on every street corner there are vendors selling flags, balloons, horns, noisemakers and sombreros all with the national colors of green, white and red.
The party starts actually the day before on September 15th at 11 PM where Jaime and his family join the large crowds gathered at the Palacio Municipal in Playa del Carmen, which is beautifully decorated in green, white and red.
President Martinez steps out onto the central balcony and rings a bell followed by a cry to the people who are carrying huge flags, trumpets, whistles and wearing shirts with the slogan “Viva Mexico”! With Mexican flags painted on Jaime’s children’s faces, they eagerly await their favorite part of the night, “El Grito”; the traditional cry of independence:
¡Vivan los héroes que nos dieron patria! ¡Víva Miguel Hidalgo! ¡Viva Morelos! ¡Viva Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez! ¡Viva nuestra independencia! ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México!
Fireworks then light up the sky in a display of unique colors as the crowd sings the national anthem. Following is a night of festivals, rides, face painting, music, dancing, eating and drinking with lots of gusto! This celebration spills over to the next day with ongoing fiestas throughout the country and all over the world.
With all Mexican celebrations, food and drink are very important. Jaime indicates that one of Mexico’s most “crowning glories” of food is prepared for this special occasion; a beloved dish called “chiles en nogada” (stuffed poblanos filled with shredded meat, fruit and nuts made with a walnut cream sauce which uses a Mexican flag as a palette. For dessert, obleas (dulce de leche spread between two very thin wafers) and churros (Spanish doughnuts) are on the menu. And what’s a Mexican celebration without lots of flowing tequila?!
As fiestas go, this is THE fiesta of all fiestas! (PS Have a wonderful Independence Day with your family Jaime!)
Mexicanos, ¡Viva México!”
“PLAYA Gal” (a very satisfied client working to promote Playa Beach Getaways!) 
salgal@playabeachcondo.com ~~~ PS Catch us on Facebook & Pinterest