In The Latino Holiday Book: From Cinco de Mayo to Dia de Los Muertos: The Celebrations and Traditions of Hispanic-Americans, by Valerie Menard, there are numerous amounts of traditions and celebrations for Latinos, most separated by the seasons. In the spring, there are the celebrations of Renewal. During the first week of March, Cuban Americans celebrate Calle Ocho, a celebration similar to Mardi Gras. Named after the street called Little Havana, Miami, this celebration is reserved for salsa dancing to merengue and salsa music as well as eating and drinking before Lent, a tradition where one of the Christian faith sacrifices something for a month. While celebrated mostly by Cuban Americans, the ten day celebration has a multicultural crowd from blacks to other Latinos. After Calle Ocho and Lent comes Easter Sunday, where the celebration of Easter honors Christ’s resurrection. Since eggs are symbols for renewal and is perfect for spring, it is used for decorations and egg hunting activities. Mexican Americans put a different spin on the event, draining and cleaning eggshells a month before Easter to create cascarones. Cascarón or cascarones means eggshell. Cascarones are filled with confetti and closed with colored tissue paper to make hats that can be cracked over someone’s head. In April, there is a recent Mexican celebration that was immigrated to the United States called Día de los Niños/ Día de los Libros which translated means Day of Children/Day of Books. It has been reintroduced to the U.S. as a celebration of children and reading. Today, it can be celebrated at libraries, at a parade or at home with children. In May, there is Cinco de Mayo. It is already known in the U.S. to be a day of party or fiesta, but it also g... ... middle of paper ... ...elebration where it features a Mass with a rosary and a musical festival which includes food. Every year according to director of the Hispanic Ministry Office of the Catholic Diocese in New York, Sonia Casanova, the event gets bigger every year. The L.A. Fiesta Broadway event for Cinco de Mayo was expected to recognize Mexican American culture as well as bringing together the community. Also during Cinco de Mayo, there are speeches by elected officials and an education program. During the Feast of San Juan Bautista, the locals gather at the beach to cast off evil energies in Puerto Rico and in New York, the Puerto Ricans attend mass and have an award ceremony where a medallion is given to a community leader who has been outstanding overall. For National Puerto Rican Day, the parade thrown every year brings the community together to celebrate Puerto Rican culture.
Cinco de Mayo is usually confused with Mexican Independence day but that day is when Mexico fought French invaders. During 1910, Mexico revolted against its repressive rulers and adapted its new constitution. They came up with the term for those who were told in Mexico they weren’t Mexican and in America who weren’t American. They wanted to belong to both. While the Civil Rights movement is mostly known to give African-American rights but, Chicanos also fought for their rights. The term Chicano first became accepted during the Chicano Movement. Thus, Chicanos have many things to be proud of. Their Aztec ancestors were intelligent people who built a city on water and made all Chicanos royalty. Along with their Mexican ancestors won two revolutions and won against the huge French army. Trinidad Sanchez Jr., a poet, wrote about Chicano pride in his poem, “Why Am I so Brown?” Sanchez wrote the poem in order to call attention to that all should be proud of their skin color. His poem talks about Chicanos having honor in their skin color by using imagery, metaphors, and
One of the most important customs in Latin America is a quinceañera. This tradition can date all the way back to 500 B.C. Not only that, but it’s been traced back to Aztec’s culture as well. It’s been said that the quinceañera tradition was supposedly adopted, when the Spanish took over America. Once the tradition was adopted, they put a Catholic Church in to replace the Aztec Temple. As we all know, this event is celebrated all across Latin America, the Caribbean, and is becoming increasingly more popular in the United States too. Like I said this Hispanic tradition has taken root into the United States, many Non...
Many people enjoy their burritos, tacos, dancing to salsa, which originates from the Mexican culture. The Voice of Mexico Magazine, introduces the subject on “Pan de Dulce”, or how everyone calls it Sweet bread, which was brought along by Hispanics in the colonial period. It began in pastries in France served with coffee and then sold piece by piece. There are many that are are identifiable, for example a sweet kiss would be two rolled breads with jam in the middle. Over the years, it became a competition because you would have fresh authentic sweet breads, replaced by store made or ordered breads. The most widely tradition would the day of the Three Wise Men/Kings, in which sweet bread is decorated with dried fruit and gel, representing the voyage to see Baby Jesus. Inside the bread would be an artificial Baby Jesus, and whoever gets the piece with it, has to make tamales for the following
...parts of the celebration, October 31st, November 1st, and finally November 2nd. On October 31st, it is seen that the kid’s souls return. November 1st is considered the adult’s day of returning, and November 2nd is when all souls have returned from the dead and there is a big celebration. People of Mexico celebrate by making many baked goods and cooking meals, making objects such as masks and decorating papers and toy coffins to prepare for the return of the souls.
Latinos have struggled to discover their place inside of a white America for too many years. Past stereotypes and across racism they have fought to belong. Still America is unwilling to open her arms to them. Instead she demands assimilation. With her pot full of stew she asks, "What flavor will you add to this brew?" Some question, some rebel, and others climb in. I argue that it is not the Latino who willingly agreed to partake in this stew. It is America who forced her ideals upon them through mass media and stale history. However her effort has failed, for they have refused to melt.
Hispanic Americans are one of the biggest culture groups in California. Hispanic Americans have very strong ties when it comes to their culture background and food. Food represents a strong symbol for Hispanic Americans, bringing the family together by providing a plate of rice and tacos with rich protein. Hispanic culture also comes with religious background that calls for time with family and praying a lot to Jesus. In Florida, the Hispanic culture is also major. Especially with the Cuban Americans living in south beach, Miami over more than 75 years. Hispanic American culture has changed Florida in significant ways. What is more, Hispanics have a very beautiful and inspiring way of representing their culture. In Florida, they celebrate national Hispanic heritage month through September 15 to October 15, and this event happens every year. The Hispanics who celebrate this culture, start it by kicking it off with music, dancing and a lot of delicious food from a variety of Hispanic countries. Also, one of the biggest well-known festivals is celebrated during national Hispanic heritage month that goes well throughout Miami and through specific streets like Calle Ocho and three
The Quinceañera is a celebration in Latin America that is very comparable to our Sweet 16 celebration, also know as the fiesta de quince años. The origination of the word comes from the feminine term of fifteen-year-old in Spanish. The overall celebration marks the transition from childhood to becoming a young woman. In earlier times this celebration was meant to be a teaching point for young women to learn how to cook, weave, and the art of becoming a mother. Depending on the family specifically, some can carry a religious tone, and some can be more traditional and casual.
Easter is as big of a celebration as Christmas is. Easter in the US, is celebrated by going to church for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and also on Easter Sunday. We recognize what happened each day leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and when he had risen from the dead. Non-religious people in the US only do Easter egg hunts and hunt for candy from the Easter bunny. This is a very common activity practiced on Easter Sunday by most families in America. Just like Christmas, Hispanic cultures really only focus on the real purpose of Holy Week and Easter. Hispanics celebrate Easter by dressing up as creatures and people from brotherhoods, and roam the streets celebrating and devoting their love towards Christ. They also celebrate by burning Judas dolls in the streets, these are made out of straw. Hispanics also go to Church to celebrate these days and to recognize them. Hispanics and the US both celebrate Easter in their own and unique
Many countries have the pleasure of celebrating Independence Days. These historic holidays are filled with nationalistic celebrations and delicious traditional food. In Chile, the natives celebrate their break from Spain with Fiestas Patrias. In Mexico, the president begins the celebration by ringing a bell and reciting the “Grito de Dolores” and he ends his speech by saying “Viva Mexico” three times.
Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean that holds a vast, and rich culture. Due to its accessible geographical location, it is often called the key to the Caribbean. Puerto Rico enriched its people with one of the most innate and unique culture different from the rest of the world. The colonization of Spaniards left us not only with myriad architectural heritage, but also with language and cultural traditions that beholds Hispanic imagery and representations. Our music, our love of dancing and festivities, as well as our practice of Catholic beliefs represents
Many holidays and traditions are the same in the US and Spanish-speaking countries. The Institute of Language listed New Year as a “Celebration of the beginning of the year”, Easter as
The customs they learned as kids have been passed on to me. We were always having barbeques in the backyard, Christmas parties, Easter egg hunting, having pan de los muertos on the Day of the Death, and celebrating Mexico’s Independence. Even though we celebrate Mexican holidays we would also celebrate American Holidays like 4th of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Having to celebrate both cultures holidays was a pleasure, because it would give us time to see our family more. Also, we would be able to celebrate some holidays twice like mother's day because in Mexico it was always on the tenth of May and in America it was another
Folklore is a collection of stories passed down from generation to generation that includes Legends, Myths and Fairy tales. Legends are a semi-true story, which has been passed on from a person to another person that has an important meaning. Myths are a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon. A Fairytale is a children's story about magical which they have imaginary beings and lands. Hispanic Folklore is the traditional is mostly about beliefs, legends, customs and stories of the community of the hispanic culture. Hispanic or latino culture encompasses the traditions, language, religious beliefs and practices, legends, music and history.
When the new year comes around in Mexico, a lot comes in hand. In the Mexican culture, they are very full of traditions, year end rituals are a key part of trending beliefs for finding love, money, and good luck. There are a ton of rituals, usually one for every Mexican family, and they’re passed on from generation to generation. Some rituals have religious backgrounds, like praying the rosary, attending mass before 12o’clock and lighting candles, but most have more to do with luck and good
April's Tag Game ~ Semana Santa ~ Easter in Spain. (2014). Retrieved March 23, 2014, from Food.com: http://www.food.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=373241