Independence Day

I grew up pretty far from Mexico and didn't know a lot of people of Mexican descent. I will claim this as the basis for my ignorance: Cinco de Mayo is not what you think it is. I always thought that the "fifth of May" for Mexicans was the same as the "fourth of July" for those in the United States. Apparently not. As I have not yet passed a Cinco de Mayo here in Mexico, I am not sure what exactly it is all about.
But the 16th of September is la Día de Independencia and is celebrated by a day off of school, parades, and fireworks at midnight.
At midnight on the 15th, I went with some of my friends to the town center for the historical Grito, which means shout. It's a re-enactment of Hidalgo's patriotic cry. In the early part of the 19th century, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, who was a Roman Catholic priest, started the Mexican War of Independence against Spain. Though Hidalgo was executed by Spain before Mexico was freed, his revolution eventually led to Mexico's independence. So in the town center around midnight, all across Mexico, someone reads off Hidalgo's words and we respond, several times, with "Viva Mexico!"

Then they send fireworks off into the crowd.