September 16th is Dia de la Independencia in México!
September in Mexico! It’s Hot. It’s Humid. And it can be very rainy. But one thing we do love about this month in our little town- Mexican Independence Day! Viva Mexico!
So what’s the official date? That’s up for debate. The ACTUAL date is September 16th, however festivities always begin on the 15th. So if you ask a local, many will say September 15th.
Regardless of the actual date, September is a month of patriotism and the celebrations really last all month long. Many people and cities decorate their homes and the streets with lights and flags. Red, white, and green!
Our little town has decorated the main square and city streets. And the government had a ceremonial flag raising ceremony at the main building in the colonia…
At Run Away Realty, we have also been showing our Mexican pride all month long. And we are so proud to be living in such an amazing place! Our Facebook page and group Puerto Morelos Life has been chock full of fun facts and tips! If you aren’t following along, you should.
A little history lesson for you…
Mexican Independence Day dates back to September 16th, 1810, when a Catholic priest Father Miguel Hidalgo rang his church bells and called out to the nation demanding the end of Spanish rule. This event is known as EL GRITO or El GRITO DE DOLORES and it started the decade-long Mexican War of Independence. 200 plus years later, and here we are! In this amazing country of MEXICO.
Here in Puerto, the festivities begin on the 15th! Most of the events will take place in front of the municipality building and the Colonia park. There is typically music, dancing, and fireworks. The schedule has yet to be posted, but stay tuned to the local government Facebook page Ayuntamiento de Puerto Morelos. We will be sure to post a schedule once we see it as well!
Across the entire nation, EL GRITO is reenacted around 11pm on the 15th and Puerto is no exception… It’s followed by the crowd shouting ¡VIVA MEXICO! (LONG LIVE MEXICO!) Wanna really sound like a local? Add CABRONES to the end… ¡VIVA MEXICO, CABRONES! A little bit vulgar, but totally acceptable in Mexico ESPECIALLY on Dia de la Independencia.
Festivities continue into the next day and on Friday, the 16th of September you will find many businesses closed including banks and schools.
What about the food?
We can’t forget about the food! We live in a food culture, and rightfully so, this month sports some pretty awesome seasonal dishes. One of those being Chiles En Nogada- a Chile Poblano stuffed with Picadillo (similar to a sweet and savory meat filling), covered in a walnut cream sauce (nogada), and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Red, white, and green. Just like the Mexican flag!
Wanna give it a try? Lola y Moya and El Campanario both serve up a wonderful version of this dish.
Another common dish to find on the table is a type of soup called Pozole! Another one of the nation’s dishes that is representative of the Mexican flag. There are 3 types of Pozole- red, white, and green!
No matter what the color, it is typically served with shredded pork (or sometimes chicken), hominy (large corn kernels), and a LOT of garnishes…. Lettuce, radish, oregano, onion, chiles, chips, etc… Pozole isn’t necessarily a seasonal dish- you can find it year round especially on Thursdays which is the traditional day to eat it in many states of Mexico! But regardless of the day of the week Independence Day falls on, it’s eaten all over the country.
You can find this around town all year… Lola y Moya always serves it on Thursdays and La Sirena will be adding it to their menu but just on the 15th and 16th of this month.
The town celebrations of course will be lined with yummy street food and streets as well- esquites, elote, tamales, marquesitas and the like. So be prepared to EAT!
Well, that’s all we got for now! But like we said, stay tuned to social media as the local festivities schedule rolls out. And don’t forget to wear you’re RED, WHITE, AND GREEN! ¡VIVA MEXICO!
