A little girl attends a Cinco De Mayo festival.

Did this this evening; my first time; I had a great time! :)

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I went to a Cinco De Mayo celebration with some friends tonight; it was my first time to one of these, and I had a great time!

Cinco De Mayo is an important holiday in Mexican culture. It celebrates the  victory against the French in 1862, thus sealing their independence. (That's what my friend Graciela told me, also her mom and pop, when I asked why they celebrate it.) There's music, tons of Mexican food, crafts and stuff to be sold, and to top it all off at the end of the day, fireworks. It's kind of like their Independence Day.

I went with my friend Graciela after she and her family invited me. When I asked my mom if I could go, she said yes. I was so excited; I had always wanted to know what it was about, why they celebrated it here in America, and I am glad I went. They had music on three stages, lots of food that tickled the senses, and much to look at: Mexican flags, books, crafts, clothes. Even Mexican toys and stuff for the kids.

I felt like an outsider, though: many brown faces there; I seemed to be one of the few "gringos" (non-Mexicans) there. I stuck out like a sore thumb. Also, the language barrier: I know very little Spanish. I  heard a lot of it; at times, I felt like I was in Mexico instead of here in America! :)

When we went to the stage, they had some ballet folklorico dancers, from tiny kids no older than one and a half to adults in their forties and fifties; most were female, but there were some boys or men dancing. The tiny girls and the littlest boys were especially popular: the little girls danced a simple little folk dance, and the boys did a "los viejos" ("little old men") dance. It was cute; the kids got a lot of applause from the addience. I enjoyed them msyelf.

After the folklorico dancers, they had a conjunto band; sounded a lot like polka music with Spanish language lyrics. I didn't understand most of what was said, but the music was good. I especially liked the mariachi music, which featured a lot of fiddle and horns, some guitars. It was pleasant to the ear.

After the music, I was starting to get hungy. We went to the food court, where I loaded up on beef burritos, nachos, tacos, and jalapeno pepper poppers. It was a perfect way to satisfy my rumbly belly.

When I sat around, letting the food digest in my belly, we went to the area where the fireworks were to be shot off. The fireworks were the biggest event of the festival, and this was one of the main reasons why the people came in the first place. The fireworks turned out to be dazzling to the eyes and ears: most were red, white, and green (the colors of the Mexican flag), but there were some orange, yellow, and blue thrown in for variety. They were nothing short of spectacular.

We went to the parking lot, where we located Graciela's parent's truck; we piled in and then headed home, fighting traffic all the way. We got home by 12 midnight; the fireworks ended at ten. It was a perfect ending to an exciting day at the Cinco De Mayo Festival; I am already planning on going again next year!

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To all my amigos y amigas: Felis Dia de Cinco De Mayo! :D