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Traders Village Houston will host Fiestas Patrias on Sunday to honor Mexican Independence Day and Hispanic Heritage Month.
The real Independence Day for Mexico is on Sept. 16. The Fiestas Patrias festival is a free event that will include parades, dancing, food and much more to honor the Mexican culture and people.
Fiestas Patrias translates to "patriotic holidays."
Many Americans mistakenly believe Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, but Cinco de Mayo is a patriotic holiday that commemorates the victory against France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, according to History.com. It is a smaller holiday in Mexico than in the U.S. Cinco de Mayo is mainly celebrated as a symbolic celebration of Mexican heritage in the town of Puebla, where the battle took place. Some of the biggest celebrations in the U.S. are in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.
Fiestas Patrias is part of Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The National Hispanic Heritage website said the month honors "the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America."
President Lyndon B. Johnson started the official month in 1968 and has since then become law. Many Latin American countries celebrate their Independence Day on Sept. 15 and Mexico celebrates their Independence Day on Sept. 16.
The Fiestas Patrias event will take place at the Traders Village market. The schedule on the Traders Village release says: "MARIACHI PERLA TAPATIA from noon to 1 p.m., BALLET FOLKLORICO MEXICO VIVE from 1:30 to 2 p.m., AZTEC DANCERS from 2:30 to 3 p.m., SANY G Y LOS GAVILANES DE LA CUMBIA from 3 to 4 p.m. and GRUPO TRAICION from 4 to 5 p.m."