September is the month of the "Fiestas Patrias"... the National Holidays of September 15th and 16th when Mexico celebrates its independence.
Even before September began there was evidence of preparations for the holiday. A few days before we left for San Miguel, I went downtown to the Zócalo. There workers were starting to put up the decorations for Independence Day.
They had already finished one of the twin buildings which serve as city hall. The portraits in lights are of heroes of the War for Independence.
To the left is Father Miguel Hidalgo, the parish priest who began the struggle against Spanish rule. Next to him is Josefa Ortiz, one of the conspirators, who managed to warn the rebels that royal troops were going to arrest them. Next is José María Morelos, who took up the fight after Hidalgo had been executed by the Spanish. I am not sure of the fourth portrait, but it is probably Leona Vicario, who helped finance the independence movement with her personal fortune, and who worked as a spy and a journalist.
Near the Zócalo is the department store Nuevo Mundo. It began as a fabric store, and in the store window there were bolts of cloth with Mexican designs for making holiday tablecloths.
Across the street, in the fabric store Parisina, there were more patriotic fabrics, including cloth stamped with the Mexican flag.
After returning from San Miguel, I found stands everywhere selling flags, patriotic decorations and trinkets.
This stall had traditional Mexican costumes for the children to dress up for the "Fiestas Patrias".
Even though it will be in Europe on Independence Day, I got in the spirit and hung a decoration on the door of my apartment.
It's such a festive time of the year!. this morning starting at 7AM was the parade for Our Lady of Loreto. Even though I grew up Catholic I can assure you there are FAR MORE Catholic saints, etc. then I ever heard of before moving here! ha
ReplyDeleteYes, I can attest to the plethora of saint's day celebrations. In the Mexico City neighborhood where Alejandro's family lives, there are celebrations for the saint of every parish church throughout the year. The firecrackers are going off all night long, sometimes for weeks before a saint's day. In contrast, in the neighborhood where my apartment is located, firecrackers are rarely heard. I tease Alejandro that his neighborhood is too "folklórico".
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