;Viva Mexico! ;Viva la Independencia!
By Jonathan Gramling
While Hidalgo and many others lost their lives to the freedom cause, 11 years later, Spanish rule was overthrown. The "Grito de Delores" has been shouted ever since from the balconies of Mexico City to the avenues of Paris, France. September 15-16 will always be considered to be Mexico's Independence Day.
While Milwaukee and other urban areas with a large Mexican population have celebrated Mexico's Independence Day for years, it is only in the past three years that Madison has had its own celebration -- or make that celebrations. While LaMovida radio station hosts an event at the Alliant Energy Center, the Comite; Festival Mexicano-Wisconsin hosts a celebration in Warner Park. While the past two years have been one day celebrations, it will now be held over two days to coincide with the traditional Mexican celebration.
This year's celebration will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday with the cry of a different sort, the cry of the mariachi. Mariachi Sol Latino will get things started and will repeat their performance on Sunday. While the two-day festival features primarily Mexican-based performances, there will also be performances featuring the dances of Peru and Bolivia.
In the view of one of the festival's organizers, Salvador Carranza, the spirit of the Mexican revolution resonates beyond the borders of Mexico. "When Mexico gained its independence, obviously Central America was a part of the Spanish colonial territory that became independent because this Spanish colonial state stretched from California and New Mexico to almost South America," Carranza said. "South America was a different Spanish territory. So when we proclaimed our independence from Spain, it wasn't just Mexico. It went all the way to Nicaragua except for Belize because it was in the control of Great Britain. But everything else was at the same time."
Throughout the day on Saturday, there will be plenty of entertainment from the Mexican Children's Folkloric Dance Group, Escamilla Entertainment, Folklorico Puebla Corazon de Mexico, Sondidos Suaves, Boliviamanta, Tiawanaku, Lucha Libre Regaetton, Griselda Barajas, and Promesa Musical.
There will also be a lotof activities for the kids from face painting to jumping around in a Bubble House. Mercardo Marimar, Antojitos el Toril and Tortilleria El Buen Gusto will be serving up all the Mexican food one can eat.
Also on Saturday, there will be two contests. The Grito contest will allow people to mimic that original Cry for Independence, mariachi style. And then there are the jalapenos. "We have the jalapeno eating contest," Carranza said. "The sponsor will give $100 to the winner of the contest and $100 to the scholarship. If the winner can beat last year's record for jalapenos, they'll get another $100 and the scholarship fund will receive an additional $100. Last year's winner is going to come and defend his title." Hold onto your stomachs because approximately 20 jalapenos were eaten last year to earn the title.
Sunday kicks off with a Sunday mass, officiated by Father Manuel Mendez with singing led by the Diocese of Madison's Latino Choir. After mass, Ricky Vasquez will play marimba music. Brisas Peru will also perform in the afternoon. And don't forget the salsa contest at 12:45 p.m.
The highlight of the festival will be the official independence ceremony at 2:15 p.m. "The Grito will be given on Sunday, mostly because we have the representative from the Mexican consulate to give the official Grito with all the official paraphernalia and everything," Carranza said. "We will also introduce our scholarship winners and all of our guests."
For Pedro Albiter, one of the driving forces behind the festival, the festival is important to the Mexican community and the entire Madison community. "It is important to celebrate the Mexican Independence to make sure our students know where they come from and their culture," Albiter said. "We want to keep alive our culture and identity. Mexicans have made many contributions. We want to celebrate not just the independence, but also the diversity in Latino cultures. In Mexico, there are different indigenous groups and over 27 languages. We have people from the north of Mexico and the south of Mexico who bring their own cultural traditions. We want to make sure that people know more about our culture and our traditions. We want people to know that we are here to stay. So it is important for us to learn about each other and value each other's cultures."
All profits from the festival are used to fund scholarships for local Latino students. That is something that Leticia Frausto, the Comite's president, Albiter, and all of those associated with the festival think is most important for it is education that leads to true freedom in contemporary culture.
For more information about the Mexican Indepoendence Day celebration at Warner Park, visit their website at www.festivalmexicano.com.
September 5, 2007 Archives