Mexican Independence Day

WOW! Mexicans sure know how to celebrate Independence Day! Two weeks before September 16 vendors begin to set up booths with all sorts of merchandise with the colors of the Mexican flag: green, white, and red. They sell decorations, horns, hair clips, and toys - the only requirement being the colors! Shops, houses, classrooms, and plazas are festooned with papel picado and other three color decorations. Even skyscrapers are decorated with tricolor banners running down the length of the buildings.
The 15th, the eve of Independence Day, is when most activities happen. People hit the streets and plazas in droves. Many people dress in various traditional styles of clothing from different regions of Mexico. If they don't have a traditional costume, they wear red, green and white - maybe a belt, a hair ribbon, a shawl, or a hat. The plazas resound with live music, sometimes from multiple stages. We heard classical music, mariachi, pop, and music from the Veracruz region. Couples dance outdoors in the plaza, while families stroll, and children play with tricolor balloons. The action increases until 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. when a government official comes out of the second story of the government building, which usually is located right on the plaza. In Mexico City, the president, Felipe Calderon, appeared to a giant crowd on the zocalo. We were in Puebla, where the governor of Puebla state gave the "grito". The government official shouts out "Que viva....." and then the names of many Mexican heroes from the time of the Independence to which the crowd repeats back "Que viva!" He ends with "Que viva Mexico!" and the crowd goes wild! People shoot out something like Silly String and crack confetti eggs over one another's heads or throw flour at one another! After a great fireworks display, the crowd begins to disperse.
On the 16th, the actual day of Independence, most Mexicans spend at home with their families. Time is taken to prepare special dishes that have the colors of the flag. People prepare either white pozole (a hominy and chicken/pork soup) with red chile and green oregano sprinkled on top. Or they might make a time consuming dish called "Chiles en Nogada". This is a pasilla pepper stuffed with meat and dried fruits. It is covered in a white walnut sauce, topped with pomogranate seeds and then decorated with a sprig of green - the three colors again!
I was so impressed by the Mexican Independence Day celebration that I can't even imagine what its going to be like in 2010 - the 200th anniversary!