Mexican Independence Day is always celebrated very magnificently, on a grand scale. The official part of the congratulations and folk festivities begin on the evening of September 15, although, according to the facts, the uprising of the inhabitants of Mexico, with which the establishment of the holiday is associated, began on the morning of September 16, 1810.
On September 15, 1910, after 11 pm struck, President Porfirio Diaz went out onto the main balcony of the National Palace and rang the same bell that Father Miguel Hidalgo rang exactly 100 years ago — in 1810. As the echo scattered over Mexico City's central square, the president shouted welcoming words: «Long life for the Heroes of the Nation!», «Long life for the Republic!». And thousands of voices echoed him: «Viva!» (Viva!).
By the 19th century, Mexico had been a Spanish colony for a very long time. And when the French captured Spain, the lands of Mexico automatically passed into the hands of Napoleon. The Mexicans, who had previously tried to throw the Spanish yoke off their shoulders, this time rebelled for real. One of the main ideologists of the struggle for independence was Father Hidalgo. It was he who, at dawn on September 16, 1810, rang the church bell, calling on the people of Mexico to rebel.
Unfortunately, fate has prepared an unenviable fate for Hidalgo. A few months later, in July 1811, he was captured by the henchmen of the Inquisition and executed. But by that time, a wave of liberation movement had swept through much of Mexico.
Few people now remember where this almost sacred tradition of — shouting after the president came from «Viva, Mexico!». According to the surviving testimony of contemporaries, Father Hidalgo, calling for struggle, shouted: «Death to unworthy Spaniards! Long live Maria of Guadalupe!» (Mueran los gachupines! Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!). Over time, like everything in life, this was forgotten, and today, instead of a battle cry, these words turned into a peaceful patriotic exclamation.
Currently, every year on the night of September 15-16, performances are performed in all central urban squares of Mexico, illustrating the history of the Mexican people's struggle for independence. National flags are displayed on the corners of buildings, houses and cars. Mexicans in national costumes gather in the main square of Mexico City on this special evening from all over the metropolis (men in «charros», and women in «china blanas»). Maryachi plays funny melodies, photographers invite tourists to star in a Mexican sombrero riding a wooden horse.
By 11 pm, government representatives led by the President arrive at the square for congratulations. On the roof of the National Palace, where the office of the President of the Republic is located, there is the same bell that Father Hidalgo once rang. Its ringing from year to year flies over the city on the night of September 16.
The holiday climaxes when the crowd begins to proudly shout out the names of national heroes, and soon the loud «Viva, Mexico!» flies over the developing flags, and the sky turns the colors of the festive fireworks.