November 20th – Los Cohetes y El Día de la Revolución
by Julie Amaro
The last four months of the year all full of exciting holidays in Mexico. The twentieth of November is a very special day that celebrates the beginning of the Mexican Revolution and the end of the tyranny of Porfirio Díaz. It falls on a Sunday this year, so will be celebrated officially the following Monday, but you will see red, white and green decorations start to appear just after the end of the Días de los Muertos.
One of the more upsetting elements of the holiday are cohetes, fireworks that are designed to produce a loud noise rather than a light show. These types of fireworks can be heard from September 15th, Independence Day, throughout the holidays until January 6th, Three Kings Day or El Dia de los Reyes Magos. The cohetes are well known to terrify pets and visitors alike, and many complain on social media about the noise, including local residents, but most can appreciate that these are ancient traditions that are woven into the fabric of the culture and are very much a part of the national identity of the Mexican people. Cohetes were brought from Spain with the colonials, but were readily accepted by native Mexicans because they were associated with rain (because they went into the sky) and it was thought that lighting cohetes would insure a good harvest. Now they symbolize celebration and have become a part of holidays and parties.
The twentieth of November marks the beginning of the Revolution, the war Mexico fought against Spain for its independence from colonial rule from 1910-1917. The holiday is celebrated here in La Peñita with vendors and games, live bands and dancing, and parades and parties. The parade is usually in the afternoon and features dancers in traditional dress and marching bands, riders on horseback and school children dressed up as little revolutionaries (complete with mustaches). The revolutionaries are revered in Mexico as liberators of the proletariat, and every town dedicates its main streets to them, such as Emiliano Zapata and Lazaro Cárdenas.
In 1910, when the war began, the conditions of the working class were deplorable. Almost 90% of the land was owned by just 1% of the population, a situation that is not beyond the imagination of many of us today. Taxes and other expenses were such a burden, most could not afford their basic necessities. While it may appear that nothing much has improved since the Revolution, there are now many more laws on the books to protect the working classes. The elitism and classism that was so prevalent during the last century is slowly fading away, and opportunities for business or land ownership abound even for people of limited means. El Día de la Revolución is a day to celebrate the progress made by farmers who fought a war with no training or weapons to speak of, with incredible bravery against impossible odds and who prevailed because they believed in their cause. Regardless of your cultural roots, everyone can feel free to join in a celebration supporting the rights of working-class people who are responsible for growing the food we eat and building the houses we live in. Viva la Revolución!
