How Do People Celebrate Mexican Independence Day?

Mexican Independence Day, also known as El Grito de Independencia, occurs on every September 16th of the year. It represents the freedom of Mexico from the Spanish rule.

Every year, on the night of September 15th, the President of Mexico rings the bell at the National Palace in Mexico City.

He then repeats the cry of patriotism (also known as “a Grito Mexicano”) which is based upon the speech that priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla gave to his congregation in 1810 to encourage them to stand up and revolt against the Spanish colonial government. The President repeats this speech from the balcony of the National Palace, which overlooks the enormous Plaza de la Constitucion.

Every year, the President’s reenactment of the speech usually draws about 500,000 spectators. After the speech is given, a parade begins at dawn. It starts in the Zocalo. The parade then passes by the Hidalgo Memorial, and finishes in Mexico City’s main boulevard, the Paseo de la Reforma.

This tradition of the bell and the parade is repeated in towns throughout Mexico. The governors or mayors of each town reenact the famous ringing of the bell, and the speech in front of a crowd of Mexican citizens.

Decorations

Mexico City is also decorated with red, white, and green lights from the beginning of September in preparation for the holiday. Mexican flags are hung throughout the city, from balconies and windows.

When the President finishes his speech, the crowd waves these flags. Then, fireworks are shot into the sky. Before the parade begins, the crowd sings the Mexican national anthem.

Food and Drink

There is also traditional Mexican Independence Day food that is eaten each year.

Pozole

One type of this food is called “pozole.” Pozole is a type of soup, and it includes such ingredients as: pork, hominy, onions, garlic, oregano, and ground cloves. It’s prepared overnight, because the hominy needs to soak first.

The soup then simmers for a large part of the day, and it is generally part of an evening feast to celebrate Mexican independence.

Chiles en Nogada

Foods that have the colors of the Mexican flag are also prepared to celebrate the holiday. One of these foods is chilies en nogada.

Chiles en nogada is a traditional Mexican dish that is made with poblano chilies. The chilies are then stuffed with meat and dried fruits, covered in a walnut sauce and covered in pomegranate seeds. The walnut sauce is white, and the pomegranate seeds are red. When a garnish of parsley or thyme is added to the dish, the dish has the colors of the Mexican flag—red, white, and green.

Tequila and Mezcal

Throughout the day, the citizens of Mexico also drink traditional Mexican drinks, such as tequila and mezcal. Mezcal is made from a number of different agave plants, and tequila is mescal that is made from the blue agave plant.

Reason for Mexican Independence Day

The day commemorates the actions of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. On the 16th of September in 1810, a Roman Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla shouted the “Grito de Delores.” It was the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence. He shouted it from the town of Dolores, near Guanajuato.

Hidalgo and other individuals were involved in a planned revolt against the Spanish government. Hidalgo was worried that he was going to be arrested, so he sent his brother to make the sheriff release any pro Mexican independence inmates from the prison on September 15th.

Approximately eighty prisoners were set free that night. Before midnight on September 15th, Hidalgo ordered that the church bells be rung. He made a speech to his congregation that night, and encouraged them to stand up and revolt against the Spanish colonial government. This is now known as the Cry of Independence, or the Cry of Dolores.