Día de la Independencia en México | Mexico Independence Day

At 11 pm on September 15th every year, government officials in every city, town, or community in Mexico arrive to their main square in the city center to perform El Grito, or, "the shout." Residents are gathered there waiting to echo the cheers commemorating the nation's heroes.

The history is as follows: in the wee hours of September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla took an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, rang the bell of his parish (in what is now Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato) and called for an uprising that would culminate in the proclamation of Mexico as a nation independent from Spain.

Although there is no record of the exact words of the priest, his call to action is commonly known as El Grito de Dolores, and its annual reenactment is considered a way to keep the collective memory alive and strengthen national identity.

The first celebration of this day was by General Ignacio López Rayón in Huichapan, Hidalgo, in 1812.

Since then, the celebration has taken different forms. Before church and state were separated, Mexico's Independence Day was celebrated with Catholic masses, concerts and festivals. Now that the state is secular, masses have been left out of the official celebrations.

Nowadays it's common to see public squares, stores and homes decorated with the colors of the Mexican flag (green, white, and red). Showing off Mexico's many faces and with great historical flair, in addition to wearing the colors of the flag, some people wear the customary clothing of Adelitas (sisters of the revolution), or traditional muslin shirts, straw hats or charro (cowboy) suits. On the morning of September 16 there is an official parade in every town to reaffirm the public services' loyalty to their homeland and to the people of Mexico (government, armed forces, police, firefighters, nurses, doctors, schools, and many others).

As is the case with any Mexican celebration, food is extremely important. The Mexican appetizers—pozole (a meat stew with hominy), pambazos and guajolotes (fried sandwiches with salsa), and gorditas (grilled or fried corn dough with a variety of different fillings)—are the most common. However, the most iconic dish is the chiles en nogada, which originated in Puebla. Its ingredients represent the colors of the flag: the green in the chile, the white in the nogada (a walnut/cream sauce) and the red in the pomegranate, which tops the dish.

This is how, amidst music, great cheer, fireworks, and a few tequila shots, the people across the nation shout Viva Mexico on September 15th.