Experience the traditions of Hispanic culture
s a child, Blanca Govea looked forward to the first Saturday in May when her family would take her to the annual Cinco de Mayo parade with its prancing horses, girls in fancy gowns, candy flying through the air and traditional Hispanic music drifting off floats. The parade is a family tradition observed to this day in Denton. Blanca, no longer a bystander, is in charge of the annual parade this year, with about 10 to 15 floats participating. “You see all the floats decorated with lively colors,” she says. “The crowd is very excited and they’re having fun with their family.”
Cinco de Mayo is the time of year when families come out to celebrate Hispanic culture and the victory of the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The May event – not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16 – celebrates the defeat of a 6,500-man army sent by France to conquer Mexico for failing to pay its debts. A poorly armed Mexican militia of just 4,500 won the day.
Cities across the country celebrate the fifth of May with parades and parties, and Denton is no exception. Just over 20 percent of the city is Hispanic or Latino, but the event lures thousands of residents from every nationality eager to taste the traditional foods and listen to music. Every year, the parade kicks off the festival at Texas Woman’s University before heading to Quakertown Park for music, food, the Ms. Cinco de Mayo pageant and a soccer tournament. The festivities end inside the Denton Civic Center Saturday night with a dance and announcement of La Reina – the queen of Cinco de Mayo.
It takes months of preparation for groups – schools, local businesses and families – to create floats for the annual competition. The categories are Most Spirited, Most Culturally Diverse, The Best Youth Award and The Heritage Award. One of the most recent winners in the Heritage category was The Ann Windle School for Young Children, which dressed up its boys and girls, aged 4 and 5, in Mariachi suits and long, flowing ballet folklorico skirts in flourescent pink or blue. Performers playing Mariachi and Norteña music ride by on the floats while la Reina from the previous year and this year’s pageant contenders – all dressed in evening gowns with sashes – wave from passing convertibles. Some throw candy to onlookers, just as they did when Blanca was a little girl. Everyone gets into the spirit of the day, which is to share Hispanic culture.
Walking through the festival, the smell of tacos, enchiladas and pombasas (sort of a Mexican Sloppy Joe, made with sausage and dipped in red chile sauce) fills the air. “When you’re walking, you want to go booth by booth to see what they’re selling,” says vendor committee head Lupe Quintero. “That’s what I usually do. I go booth by booth and try what I like.” To give the festival foods variety, no two vendors would be caught selling the same dishes. “I do corn, chips with queso, and a drink called rusas,” says Lupe. Rusa is a traditional grapefruit drink mixed with pineapple, chile spice and ice. (She learned the recipe from her mother, Alicia Vasques, who told her the drink dates back to the Paleozoic era 2.5 million years ago.) Blanca says her favorite are the fajitas, which she spices up with cilantro, onion and salsa. “It’s a good day to come out and have fun,” Lupe says.
When the bands strike up their Mariachi, Norteña and Cumbia music, people start dancing. Those who know the traditional folkloric music get up to teach those who don’t know the dances. For the men, there’s the annual La Copa de Cinco de Mayo, a soccer competition, while the women delight in seeing the city’s teenage young ladies compete in the annual Ms. Cinco de Mayo pageant.
Although working with a tight budget, volunteers and sponsors keep the festival going strong. Blanca, for one, wants to make sure the memories of Cinco de Mayo are as wonderful for future generations as they are for her.
by Phylicia Hodges