As many know, September is National Hispanic Heritage Month. In honor of it, let’s see how the Hispanic Heritage has impacted our community. From simple phrases like “hasta la vista” to deeper cultural values, it may be deeper than you think!
Holidays
Cinco De Mayo is a holiday associated with Hispanic culture. Admittedly, it’s not actually recognized as a holiday in Mexico, it’s source and origin. Many believe it to be Mexican’s Independence Day. That is also not true. The Mexican Independence Day is celebrated on September 16th. May 5th is actually the anniversary of The Battle of Puebla.
Of course, there’s also the beloved day of the dead, Dia De Los Muertos. It’s a celebration from November 1st to November 2nd. It is also known as All Souls Day. Many may associate the holiday with the Movie Coco, a high grossing film released in November 2017. That’s because the movie centers around the holiday, when the dearly departed return briefly for a joyous celebration.
Cuisine
Many traditional Spanish foods have also made their way into the American diet. Of course, there’s the mst traditional, tortilla. Upon doing some research, it seems Tortillas have been around for thousands of years. They originated from the Mayan Mesoamerican Indians. (Tortillas are older than the United States of America)
Clubs
And of course, we could not finish up this article without discussing our school’s Spanish club. Profe Wong, advisor of the Spanish club, has been advising this club for 5 years.
Ms. Wong says the students are very interested in Spanish culture. “They want to hear the songs, they want to learn about dances, and of course, everybody likes the food!”
Spanish Heritage Month is important to Ms. Wong because it showcases a lot of Hispanics that have started from very humble beginnings.
“And they persevered, they studied, they worked very hard, and they have really made a name for themselves. I think it’s important that other US citizens know that they too can make a name for themselves.”
Because the school year is still young, the Spanish club has not held a special event for Hispanic Heritage month, so they are focusing on planning for Dia De Los Muertos: the Day of the Dead. It’s right around Halloween, and they are planning a kick off Fiesta!
If anyone is interested in joining the Spanish club, you have to move fast! They are accepting applicants until the end of this quarter! Go to G303, turn in the form along with a $15 dollar fee, and you can celebrate Hispanic culture all year with them!
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cinco-de-Mayo
