September is full of lots of different events and holidays. National Suicide Prevention Month, Oktoberfest in Germany, the Moon festival in East Asian culture, and obviously Hispanic Heritage Month. What is Hispanic Heritage Month? You may ask yourself, well, let me tell you. Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration for Hispanic communities all over the world. The days in this month were specifically chosen to align with the national independence of the countries. Such as Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and so many more. Some of these countries celebrate their independence on the same day as other Latin American countries do. In this article, we will be talking about some more of the history of this month, some things each country does to celebrate, and so much more! I hope you enjoy reading this.
This month started out as National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. President Lyndon B.Johnson started this week because he wanted to recognize the Hispanic community and he wanted to recognize the influence they started having on society as a whole. Then, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan changed it to a whole month of celebration for the Hispanic community. The Start date of this celebratory month is September 15th. The reason for Hispanic Heritage Month starting on this day is due to the fact that it’s the anniversary of independence for a lot of Latin American countries. Throughout this month, many museums and schools have decorations and they acknowledge many famous Latin American artists, painters, etc. Throughout the month all these countries celebrate their independence in their own unique way.
Each country has their own unique way of celebrating this month. The most common way countries usually celebrate is through festivals and parades. During these parades/festivals, the people of these countries usually dance traditional dances like sala, bachata, merengue, cumbia, etc. During this month, radio stations often change their playlist a bit in order to appreciate and contribute towards the Hispanic/Latino/latinx community. Communities often host dance classes, cooking classes, and so many more activities surrounding the Hispanic community in order to show appreciation. Apart from all these celebratory festivities, Hispanic Heritage Month is also celebrated by learning new things about the country’s culture. The place where you will see more of this will be on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok etc. These platforms become full of people wanting to celebrate famous Hispanic people and just people who fought tooth and nail to get to where they are today. Sometimes TV channels have a special program for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic Heritage Month is important because it recognizes and celebrates everything the Hispanic culture has changed and impacted the United States. It’s the one time a year that one of the minority groups gets to be recognized and celebrated for what they are and what they’ve done to better our diversity. The Hispanic community has helped influence so many changes that we know today, such as food, drink, music, and much more. Apart from that, it also spotlights the struggles the Hispanic/Latino/latinx community experiences. Not only does this month help us see the roots and culture of the Hispanic community, but it also allows children with Hispanic roots to cherish it, explore, and feel a sense of pride about their ancestry.
