Oceanside library will celebrate a liberating Noche Mexicana

By Lillian Cox | Special to Today’s Local News

Friday, September 12, 2008

On the night of Sept. 15, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo rang a church bell in the town of Dolores, Guanajuato, igniting the battle for Mexican independence.

Hildalgo rallied the parishioners with a speech and the battle cries, “Viva Mexico!” and “Viva la independencia!”

In commemoration of the event, the Oceanside Public Library will host its fourth annual Noche Mexicana, a celebration of Mexico’s independence from Spain, from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday. The celebration will take place at the Civic Center Library and Plaza area at 330 N. Coast Highway.

Carlos von Son, a lecturer in international languages and multicultural studies at Palomar and MiraCosta colleges, will serve as master of ceremonies. He’ll provide a historical perspective on the event and clear up common misconceptions.

“Cinco de Mayo has become commercialized, and now most people think it’s Mexican independence day,” he said. “It was only one battle Mexico fought against the French. Noche Mexicana is the real independence day from Spain. It’s like our July Fourth.”

The library will celebrate the culture of Mexico through music, dance and artistic traditions of the many regions of the country, including Ballet Folklorico Tapatio from Jalisco, Danza de los Diablos from Oaxaca and Ballet Tierra Caliente from Veracruz.

A highlight is the famed Michoacan la Danza de los Viejitos, the dance of old men.

“This is a tribute to the elderly in the state of Michoacan,” von Son said. “They are held in a high social status.”

The dancers begin by wearing wooden masks and moving slowly with canes, he said.

“Then they throw away their canes and start dancing a type of Irish jig until they remember they are old again and in pain,” von Son said. “Someone hits them with a cane, and they start dancing again. They are really comical.”

Students from Palomar College will perform a puppet show written by von Son about the passionate love affair between Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. A library exhibition honoring the two will run through September.

A group of more than 20 leaders from the Latino community have worked for more than six months to plan and present this event. Lourdes Garcia is coordinating the performers. Yolanda Iniguez planned the event.

Iniguez said the event has grown from 75 attendees the first year to almost 1,000 last year.

The evening will conclude with a presentation of “El Grito de Dolores,” Father Miguel Hidalgo’s speech that became the rallying cry of Mexican independence. It will be presented by a representative from the Mexican Consul and Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood.

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