Fiestas De Fin De Ano

[Jeff]

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At the turn of the twentieth century, San Antonio held elaborate three-day fiestas patrias on September 15 through 17 that typified events elsewhere in Texas. A committee called the Junta Patritica (Patriotic Board), aided by local benevolent societies, planned the program and chose a site in or near a Mexican barrio for the event. Additional committees decorated booths and bandstands with bunting, flags, and flowers. A grand marshal and aides were appointed to lead a parade. On September 15 marchers bearing the colors of the United States and Mexico, accompanied by military bands, headed the procession. Next came the carriages with city and county officials and dignitaries from Mexico and the United States. A line of decorated floats with costumed characters representing prominent figures in Mexican history followed. Then came local societies, which included, for example, the Mutualista Benevolencia, Sociedad Unin, Sociedad Benito Jurez, Sociedad Hidalgo, Sociedad Zaragoza, Crculo de Obreros, and other groups (see SOCIEDADES MUTUALISTAS). At the rear were carriages carrying people of prominence, the fiestas patrias committee, invited associations, and individuals. The procession followed a designated route to the fairgrounds or some other location. The crowd surged by decorated booths to a speakers' stage, and at exactly 11 P.M. the traditional Grito de Dolores was made. The Mexican Declaration of Independence was read, and cries of "Viva la independencia!" filled the air. A United States artillery battery fired a twenty-one-gun salute. The program often included singing the Mexican national hymn, the coronation of lovely seoritas, orations, eulogies, and the singing of such patriotic songs as "El Cinco de Mayo." As the ceremonies concluded, the crowd participated in social games, watched historic plays, flooded food and drink concessions, and danced. On the evening of September 17 the fiestas patrias officially closed with fireworks.

Cinco de Mayo began to be celebrated in the United States soon after news arrived of the Mexican victory at the battle of Puebla over a French expeditionary army on May 5, 1862. Disgruntled, exiled Mexican conservatives had invited Napoleon III of France to send the Hapsburg Maximilian and his wife, Carlota, to rule Mexico, in opposition to the reform movement led by Benito Jurez. At the battle of Puebla, Mexican forces led by the Texas-born Ignacio Zaragoza accomplished an initial victory over a professional French army. Although it took five years of civil war before the French were driven out, Mexican monarchical forces were finally defeated, Maximilian was executed, and the Mexican Republic fully restored. Mexican Americans in California appear to have first celebrated the event in 1862, after news reached the Southwest, and other celebrations soon followed. The growing body of Mexican immigrants to Texas and the western United States in the early decades of the twentieth century reinforced the holiday in the region. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo thus celebrated the cultural ties that the raza (the "race" or "clan," i.e., Mexican Americans) shared with each other and with Mexico. Sporting costumes and banners, the people gathered to hear speeches, sing patriotic songs, and eat and dance. Sponsoring societies might include Sociedad Benevolencia Mexicana, Sociedad de la Unin, Sociedad Benito Jurez de Seoras y Seoritas, Sociedad Morelos, and others.

Other Texas cities developed a Diez y Seis-Cinco de Mayo tradition. In Houston the celebrations began in the 1920s, when the Hispanic population grew large enough to require a Mexican consulate. The earliest celebrations included historic dramas at Teatro Azteca, Houston's first Hispanic theater, founded in 1927. The dramas included Maximiliano, a nineteenth-century play depicting Mexico's armed resistance to French imperialism. Later, such civic-minded groups as the Hispanic Club Familias Unidas, established in 1947, sponsored dances. The popular Baile Ranchero began in 1950, with participants wearing costumes representing different regions of Mexico and performing native dances. From the mid-twenties, fiestas patrias were held at the City Auditorium, following a parade through the downtown business district. The Mexican consul or his official representative frequently opened the Diez y Seis celebration on the night of September 15 by delivering the Grito de Dolores. During the late 1960s, Juan Coronado was instrumental in making the annual parade down Houston's Main Street on September 16 a permanent event. In 1969 Judge Armando V. Rodriguez brought together a group of community leaders to support the event. The success of the "16th" festivities was ensured in 1971, when the Houston Fiestas Patrias organization, led by Rita and Armando Rodriguez, A. John Castillo, Johnny Mata, and Rita Villanueva, obtained a state charter. A Distinguished Mexican American of the Year award was started in 1969, with Judge Rodriguez as the first recipient; by 2002 the much-coveted honor had been renamed the Distinguished Hispanic of the Year award. By 2004 the Houston Fiestas Patrias had evolved into a series of events held throughout the month of September, including pageants for young Hispanic ladies aged five through twenty-four.

Hints of the various cultures of peoples who have made Guam their home can be seen in every aspect of life on Guam. The influences of ethnic diversity are seen in architecture, language, religion and are also evident in the cuisine found in restaurants, homes, and on the fiesta table of today.

The introduced recipes were passed on to generations of CHamoru families, each including their own special and sometimes secret ingredients. Some of these popular dishes are titiyas, bread, potato salad, tamales and latiya.

The Mariana Islands, of which Guam is the largest, is home to a large Catholic community. Village parishes hold fiestas to honor their patron saints. As in many places around the world, food is part of the celebration. On Guam, food is a largely important part of festivities as families take pride in the preparation, presentation and in the large variety of dishes on the table offered to guests, which can range in number from as small as twenty to as large as a few hundred.

Each family member has roles and duties to fulfill. Girls generally help mothers, aunts, sisters and female cousins with the kitchen duties such as food preparation or area decoration. Boys are with fathers, uncles, brothers, and male cousins helping with the preparation of foods for outside cooking and area preparation such as erecting a pla pla (canopy), setting up chairs, preparing the barbecue and drinks serving areas.

Once the food is prepared for presentation, there is a deliberate method of dish placement on the table or tables as dozens of dishes may have been prepared or brought by guests, which is customary. The table is divided into six sections with dishes placed in appropriate locations.

For those who know the rules of setting out the food, it is done with ease as this is the way they were taught. Although they may not be aware of why certain dishes go where they do, CHamorus know this is the way it is supposed to be done. If a table is set properly, anyone who is familiar with the settings can navigate easily through the array of dishes.

CHamoru cultural and language expert, University of Guam Professor Rosa Salas Palomo explains that foods in the ggon section: rice, starches and banana cooked in coconut milk prepared in the gollai ppan cooking method are placed at the head of the table, and can be considered the most important of the dishes, because they provide adequate sustenance alone. Also if one looks at the dish placement it shows, in some respects, the chronological introduction and acceptance of foods to the islands, with the exception of seafood dishes.

The modern fiesta table continues to evolve with the introduction of new dishes, but the main foods remain as well, showing a continuity of culture. The table, which is so important to the fiesta celebration, is a multicultural display of Guam as a melting pot.

September is the perfect time to celebrate Mexican history and heritage with a big fiestas patrias bash. Who needs downtown parades, floats, and mariachi bands when you can dazzle your guests with an array of appetizing food, delicious drinks, and festive tricolor decorations at home?!

To mark the occasion, invite your friends and family to join you in a celebration of Mexican culture and tradition. These suggestions for food, drinks, and decorations will help you plan your own unforgettable fiestas patrias party.

First, set a date and make your guest list. Then, find an appropriate evite or design your own invitation and send it about two weeks before the party. You may have to make follow-up calls to finalize your RSVP list so you can plan sufficient amounts of food and drink.

A Mexican party is not a party without margaritas. Make pitchers of different flavored margaritas, like watermelon or hibiscus. A paloma (top-shelf tequila mixed with Mexican grapefruit soda) goes down well, too. Arrange sliced limes, salt, and shot glasses for hardcore guests who prefer to do shots. Stock up on Mexican sodas, horchata, and fruity aguas frescas for the younger ones and for those who pass on the alcoholic drinks.

Your house has to feel festive as well. To achieve a truly Mexican ambiance, hang colorful papel picado banners and fairy lights. You can buy papel picado or make it yourself with tissue paper, a craft punch, and string. Have kids? Get them involved in the party prep by giving them materials and instructions for this simpler version of papel picado.

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