¡Viva Puebla! ¡Viva Mexico!

For independence day, we get the 16th off work, but the 15th is pretty much a free day as well. Our office stopped working at 12 to have a party and "officially" closed at 3. We ate a bunch of pozole, tostadas, flan and tequila. There was also some really bad karaoke and a lot of smashing of eggs. In Mexico, they take egg shells and fill them with confetti and then you get to smash them on people's heads.....all fun until our boss got a little to violent with them and actually made someone bleed.






Even the security guard got pulled in to sing (I was able to avoid ever taking the mic...thankfully)

After the work party, Adriana, her daughter, and I went to the fair in Cholula to see some traditional dancing (really bad lighting so no pictures) and wander around the fair to see the crafts and of course, all the food.





Then they headed to her parent's house for a family gather and I went to the zocalo in Puebla. I was in the zocalo last year as well, but there were some distinct differences this year. After the granade attacks in Morelia last year, security was super tight. There was a combination of military and police and the zocalo was completly coordined off for a block in every direction. You had to enter through a series of metal detectors manned by police and dogs. They were also confiscating all shaving cream, so this year's celebration was a lot cleaner than last year. Once inside the zocalo, things were pretty calm since it was pouring. I think with the increased security and the rain a lot of people made alternative plans. Don't get me wrong, it was still packed, but not as wall-to-wall as last year. Then at about 10:15 the governor and the municipal president appeared on the balcony, shouted Viva for a while (they name all the important people in the revolution), finally yelled Viva Puebla and Viva Mexico, and then as the national anthem played the fireworks began over the cathedral. All in all it was pretty low key, but the police and soldiers on every corner and roof top made it a little different from last year. Then, leaving the zocalo, there was of course, more food!

¡Viva Mexico!

The 16th of September is Independence Day in Mexico. This day celebrates Mexico’s Independence from Spain that began with the grito (cry or yell) of independence given by Miguel hidalgo in Dolores, Guanjuato (now called Dolores de Hidalgo) that lead to the start of the war of Independence.
For weeks now the streets of Puebla have been decorated with flags, banners, and everyone red, white, and green. Vendors with push carts have been selling flags, hats, jewelry, jalepeno pepper ornaments with bottles of tequila, noise makers, and all sorts of other stuff on every street corner. Here is me with some of the decorations.

The big night for the celebration is the night of the 15th. The official grito is in Mexico City at midnight, but all the individual gritos in the states must be finished before the one in Mexico City (side note here, because Calderon won the presidency, but lost the popular vote, the candidate that won the popular vote also did his own grito). So the grito in Puebla took place at 10:30pm in the zocalo that night. There were some other vols in town so we all met up for a little Independence Day party and then headed over to the zocalo to squeeze into a good viewing location to see the governor. Basically the governor appears from one of the windows of the municipal palace and gives the grito which ends with “Viva Puebla (obviously this varies depending on the state you live in) and Viva Mexico”. Then the zocalo breaks out in a snowstorm of shaving cream and confetti (a combination that is not so forgiving on white clothes). And of course, because what would a celebration in Mexico be without fireworks, there was a huge firework display over the cathedral choreographed to music from the orchestra.

Crowd in the zocalo.

The flag ceremony inside the municipal palace.

The governor and mayor giving the Grito.