Every year millions of Mexicans, and expats, and fellow revelers from around the world gather late the night before Mexican Independence Day (September 16) to join a massive, synchronized call and response that dates back centuries! El Grito de Dolores! As the President of Mexico calls out to the memory of individual leaders of the revolution and to Mexico itself, the crowd yells “VIVA!” after each one. But why? 
On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo cried out to his parish in the small town of Dolores. He cried out against colonial rule, he cried out against the elite, he cried out for Mexicans to rise up and take charge of their destiny. His grito, his shout — eventually rallied tens of thousands of people, mostly very poor Indians, to fight and change Mexico forever. This is the El Grito for San Nicolas de Ibarra:
¡Mexicanos! ¡Vivan los héroes que nos dieron patria!
¡Víva Hidalgo!
¡Viva Morelos!
¡Viva Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez!
¡Viva Allende!
¡Vivan Aldama y Matamoros!
¡Viva la independencia nacional!
¡Viva México!
¡Viva México!
¡Viva México!
As an expat we shout out “VIVA!” with gusto as we celebrate the colorful culture we enjoy so very much! Today our neighbor Rosa Ena invited us to her casa for a day of Indepencia! #16deSeptiembre
