"Dies y Seis" of September Mexico's Independance Day

Today is “Dies y Seis” or September 16th in Spanish. This is a big celebration in the Rio Grande Valley and specifically McAllen because of our large Hispanic population and roots in Mexico. It’s sort of like St. Patrick’s Day in New York, Chicago, and other parts of the U.S. where “everybody is Irish” at least for a day. We celebrated last Saturday at the still-new McAllen Convention Center at an event produced by the Mexican Consulate. This is an entertaining and moving event with Mexican folkloric dancing and culminating in the singing of the Mexican national anthem and the “grito” or “yell” that is led by the Mexican consul, Miriam Medel. This reminds me of the American revolutionary hero, Paul Revere, who rode out from town to town yelling “The British are coming.” The “Grito” was the cry of Father Hidalgo who signaled the Independence uprising against the French in 1810. We live in a wonderful place here in McAllen where we get to enjoy the best of two significant cultures.