Mexican fiestas in the United States
Encyclopedia
Many Mexican fiestas are held in the United States
every year. Much of the western United States belonged to Mexico
at various times and the descendants of those Mexicans carry on many of their traditional celebrations. These celebrations, called fiestas (feasts or festivals), are held on any number of religious or civic holidays. Many communities also plan local celebrations throughout the year. Most are held in the Southwest and California
(by the history of Las Californias
).
Because the descendants of the original Mexicans have been Americans for several generations, many of the fiestas, especially the nonreligious ones, are a mixture of Mexican and American cultures. They may attract participants from across the whole community. The religious fiestas are generally held by the congregation of the local church but in smaller communities may involve most of the citizens.
Most fiestas offer traditional Mexican food
, music and dance, and may include traditional sporting events such as a charrería, or rodeo. The participants may dress in traditional Mexican dress, especially if the event is a community wide event.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
every year. Much of the western United States belonged to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
at various times and the descendants of those Mexicans carry on many of their traditional celebrations. These celebrations, called fiestas (feasts or festivals), are held on any number of religious or civic holidays. Many communities also plan local celebrations throughout the year. Most are held in the Southwest and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(by the history of Las Californias
Las Californias
The Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
).
Because the descendants of the original Mexicans have been Americans for several generations, many of the fiestas, especially the nonreligious ones, are a mixture of Mexican and American cultures. They may attract participants from across the whole community. The religious fiestas are generally held by the congregation of the local church but in smaller communities may involve most of the citizens.
Most fiestas offer traditional Mexican food
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
, music and dance, and may include traditional sporting events such as a charrería, or rodeo. The participants may dress in traditional Mexican dress, especially if the event is a community wide event.
Fiestas Patrias (Mexican holidays)
- Cinco de MayoCinco de MayoCinco de Mayo is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla...
; Many places throughout the Southwest — May 5 - Dieciséis de SeptiembreGrito de DoloresThe Grito de Dolores also known as El Grito de la Independencia , uttered from the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato on April 19, 1810 is the event that marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence and is the most important national holiday observed in Mexico...
(Mexican Independence Day); Many places throughout the Southwest — September 16
Religious fiestas
- Nuestra Señora de Dolores, Feast of Our Lady of SorrowsOur Lady of SorrowsOur Lady of Sorrows , the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows , and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life...
- Friday before Good FridayGood FridayGood Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of... - Semana Santa, Holy Week - EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
week - La Virgen de GuadalupeOur Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
, Feast of Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
- December 12
Community fiestas
- Charro Days Fiesta; jointly in Brownsville, Texas, USA & Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico — last week in February
- Fiesta San Antonio; San Antonio, Texas — mid April "Fiesta Week"
- La Fiesta de San Agustín (St. AugustineAugustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
Festival); Tucson, Arizona — End of August (Celebrates the founding of Tucson—Presidio de San Agustín del Tucsón—as well as honoring the saint.) - La Fiesta de los Vaqueros; Tucson, Arizona — last weekend in February
- Santa Fe Fiesta; Santa Fe, New Mexico — beginning of September
- Mexican Fiesta — Milwaukee,WI — huge, 3-day summer fiesta along Lake Michigan
- The Fiesta in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
- Fiesta Mexicana in Topeka, KansasTopeka, KansasTopeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
second full week in July, a 5-day festival
See also
- CharroCharroCharro is a term referring to a traditional horseman from Mexico, originating in the central-western regions primarily in the state of Jalisco including: Zacatecas, Durango, Guanajuato, Morelos, Puebla...
- Cuisine of Mexico
- Fiestas Patrias (Mexico)
- List of festivals in the United States
- Music of MexicoMusic of MexicoThe music of Mexico is very diverse and features a wide range of different musical styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, most notably indigenous Mexican and European, since the Late Middle Ages...
- Holidays and celebrations in Mexico
- MariachiMariachiMariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...