SEPTEMBER EVENTS CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER EVENTS CALENDAR Dia de Los Niños Heroes, Sunday, September 13 Dia de Los Ninos is a special civic holiday in Mexico that honors the six young heroes who died in 1847, while defending Mexico City’s Chapultapec Castle during the Mexican-American War. In English the holiday is known as; »Day of the Heroic Kids.» Los Niños Heroes, were six Mexican teenage military cadets who fought bravely against the gringo troops led by United States of America General Winfield Scott. In a historic, legendary act of bravery, 15 year old Juan Escutia, is reported to have jumped off the top of the castle, with he national flag of Mexico wrapped around him, in order to keep it from falling into the hands of the enemies from north of the border. The six heroic lads were Juan de la Barrera (age 19) Juan Escutia  (age 15) Francisco Márquez  (age 13) Agustín Melgar  (age 16) Fernando Montes de Oca  (age 17) and Vicente Suárez  (age 14). Chapultepec Castle was defended by Mexican troops and cadets under the command of Nicolas Bravo. The greatly outnumbered defenders battled General Scott’s troops for about two hours before General Bravo ordered retreat. The six cadets however, refused to fall back and fought to the death. Per Wikipedia, the bodies of the six youths were buried on the grounds of Chapultepec Park. On March 5, 1947, a few months before the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Chapultapec Castle, United States President, Harry S. Truman said, «Brave men don’t belong to any one country. I respect bravery wherever I see it.» An honorable praise the U.S. President shared when answering a question by a reporter as to why Truman had gone south into Mexico to visit the monument.    Charro Day, Monday, September 14 The Day of the Charro is celebrated on September 14, which throughout history has always been overshadowed by the fiestas, fireworks, speeches, and all night celebrations of Mexico’s September 16 Independence Day. In Mexico, a Charro is a not only a cowboy but a gentleman. A horse riding cavalier skilled in rope twirling, calf throwing, and gallant horse-trotting maneuvers. Being a Charro, is a tradition that is passed from one generation to the next. A young girl or woman Charro is known in Spanish as an Escaramuza. »Charreadas» are very similar to American rodeos north of the border, except that while cowboys in the USA are paid for their rope, and riding performances, Charros in Mexico, do it as a respectful honor to the sport. San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas have joined major cities like Guadalajara, Mexico City, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, and Cancun in recognizing and celebrating their horsemen dressed in beautifully decorated jackets, along with the equally colorfully dressed women, who will parade through town beginning at 10:00 am with festivities taking place all day in honor of such a traditional part of Mexican culture that includes bullfights, calf roping, Mexican food and dancing.   El Grito de Dolores (The Cry of Dolores) Thusday, September 15 The War of Independence in Mexico officially began on Saturday, September 15, 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest, rang the church bell in the City of Dolores, Guanajuato, and cried out to the townspeople to take up arms and rise in rebellion against the Spanish Crown, which had ruled Mexico since the days the Conquest of the Aztec Nation by Hernan Cortes on August 23, 1521. The day before Mexican Independence Day, Los Cabos celebrates El Grito de Dolores with an emphatic reenactment speech commemorating »El Grito/Cry of Dolores» before the revelry and festivities begin. In San Lucas, the celebration takes place at the Deportivo Municipal, which is the huge sports complex at the intersection of Highway 19 to Todos Santos. The annual fireworks, and live music performances begin at 10:00 pm and continue into the wee hours of the night, with food and beer vendors available on site. In San Jose del Cabo, the identical celebration takes place in the downtown central plaza in front of the historic Catholic Church.   Mexican Independence Day, Friday, September 16 Mexico’s 4th of July Independence Day is September 16; a federal holiday observed nationwide. In both Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, there will be a parade, a colorful procession of carnival floats, followed by speeches, mariachi performers, and other live bands and musical entertainment. In San Jose del Cabo, there will also be a rodeo and bullfights at the rodeo ring located in front of the city’s fire department. The festivities in Cabo San Lucas all take place at the Deportivo Municipal, which is at the crossroads of town at the corner of where everyone takes the highway towards Todos Santos. A few hundred meters from the new Mega and the Chedraui. It is undoubtedly one of the biggest local celebrations of the year. While many tourists might be under the impression when visiting, that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day, the truth is that May the 5th is just another day in Mexico, while September 16th is recognized and celebrated in every village, small town, and big city in this wonderful country south of the border. September 16th in Mexico is the equivalent of the USA’s 4th of July. And since it actually starts with El Grito de Dolores the night before, Mexican Independence Day September 16, is actually a two day, two night affair.   Casting for Souls Shoe Give Away Tournament, Wednesday, September 28 – Sunday, October, 2 The Casting for Souls shoe give away and tournament, held at the Palmas De Cortez Hotel in Los Barriles is the proud but humble fishing community tournament which join forces with local non-profit agencies to provide thousands of shoes and clothing to the East Cape region of Baja California Sur. The two day fishing competition has been a long-time low-key event that assists those in the area who are less fortunate. The shoe and t-shirt give away will be held on Saturday October 1st.  If you would like to be a part of this extraordinary event, please contact Jack at fishersofmenwestcoast@gmail.com.  Donations, sponsors and volunteers are very much needed and are an integral part that continue to make this special event possible.    ]]>