COLORADO SPRINGS — September 16 is Mexican Independence Day, and it’s similar to 4th of July celebrations in the United States. Meanwhile, Fiestas Patrias is happening tomorrow is downtown Colorado Springs and it’s a patriotic holiday festival marking the anniversary of Mexican independence from Spain.
The festival is happening outside of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum on the corner of Tejon St. and Vermijo Ave. It’s the first-ever Fiestas Patrias in the city. While it’s celebrated across the country every year, the local hispanic community is excited the celebration is finally happening in Colorado Springs.
“I’m so excited for the fiesta to happen tomorrow. It's probably going to be one of the biggest events for the hispanic community in decades that we’ve had in Colorado Springs,” said Jackie Jaramillo.
Jaramillo said she’s bringing her entire family to the festival, including her grandkids, to celebrate traditions.
“Everyone has been really excited about Fiestas Patrias. And I think it’s important to share our culture. We practice radical hospitality in our homes, and when we have fiestas at home and parties and celebrations, people always enjoy our food and our music,” said Jaramillo.
Many say an event like this has been needed for a while. In previous years, people would travel to Denver to celebrate.
“There is about 130,000 hispanics in Colorado Springs, and no one has ever seen an event like this before. There is a need for it,” said Moni Hernandez. “It’s an event that they do in different cities throughout the whole country, nd it has never been done here in Colorado Springs. So we’re excited.”
Hernandez is the founder of Fiestas Patrias. She said when she first moved to the city in 2011, there wasn't much diversity or festivals that represent the hispanic community. That’s why she decided to bring a tradition she grew up with to Colorado Springs.
“To see this, it's so exciting. I got some phone calls of people are just just thanking me, ‘thank you for putting on this event. Ee are so excited that we are being recognized, and our culture is being recognized,’” Hernandez said.
“The culture is, when there are events, they bring the whole family. We are looking forward to seeing generations of family come to this event,” said Hernandez. “But one of the biggest things that many people think of when too they hear Hispanic culture, is the food. Everybody loves the food, right?”
There will be live hispanic music from all genres, traditional dancing and performances like presenting the Mexican national anthem, ballet folklorico and mariachi bands. Plus there will be vendors, a car show, and of course Mexican and Latin American food.
“We're covering Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Salvador, Peru, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Argentina. There are so many Latin American countries that celebrate Fiestas Patrias,” said Hernandez.
While it's a celebration of independence, is also sharing celebrations and traditions with others.
“This is an opportunity for the entire community to experience that hospitality, and to experience that unique taste of the food, and the celebration, and the music that will all be happening there,” said Jaramillo. “It’s really more than just a celebration for Hispanics. It’s for the whole community to experience our culture.”
The event begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning with free breakfast burritos given to all military and veterans. Concerts and performances begin at 10 a.m. and the event ends at 7 p.m.
For more information about Fiestas Patrias, click here.
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