In the United States, 17.1% of the population is Hispanic. Over the years, Mexico and its people have had a great impact on the U.S., introducing new kinds of food, culture and holidays. There are states who are more populated with Hispanics than others, for example California and Texas, who have accepted their celebrations as their own.
Americans have joined and even helped the Mexican people with the holidays from their homeland. From time to time they have raised families here with Americans, making the latin-American ethnic group, but somehow the home values are lost, making the kids know less about their culture. One of the most important holidays is “El Día de Independencia de México” (Mexican independence day) that is celebrated on the night of Sept. 15 and the morning of Sept. 16. This celebration is about how Mexico got their freedom from Spain.
Senior, Mariana Villareal Chico is one of the Mexican students in the school.
“I usually dress up with a dress and have a fiesta with the family at home,” Villareal said.
She doesn’t celebrate all the different holidays of Mexico but she does celebrate the most important ones, like Independence day, El día de los muertos (Day of the dead) and Christmas Eve.
“Me and my family moved seven years ago, but we still aware of our holidays,” Villareal said.
People often confuse the Mexican celebration of El Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) and El Día de Independencia (Independence day). El cinco de mayo is when America helped Mexico against the French, but in the Independence Day Mexico won their freedom against the Spanish.
