The Celebration of the Mexican Culture!

Language- 

Spanish is the official language in Mexico and is spoken by more than 95 percent of the population. The second most spoken language is Nahuatl, an indigenous language from the Aztecan times. Some words from the principal indigenous language, Nahuatl, have been incorporated into the Mexican Spanish and many other languages. The national culture of Mexico boasts sixty-two indigenous languages. As much as 85 percent of the population is bilingual in Mexico.

 Culinary Culture- 

Mexico possesses an extensive and sophisticated culinary culture, with a great variety of regional dishes. Three products constitute the heart of most Mexican dishes: corn, chiles, and beans. Corn is consumed in all possible forms: as a cooked or roasted corncob, cooked grain of corn, porridge, as wrapped and steamed dough with filling, also known as a tamal, but most importantly as a tortilla. Tortillas are made from corn dough and come in many sizes. When tortillas are filled with meat or other ingredients they are called tacos or quesadillas, which are especially popular in central Mexico. Much of the sophistication of Mexican cuisine comes from the use of more than one hundred different types of chiles, which range from the large and "sweet" chile ancho to the small and extremely hot chile habanero.

Mexicans have an interesting food schedule. They generally have a light breakfast before school or work and then halfway through the morning they have a tortilla-based snack or a bread roll.  Between the hours of two and four in the afternoon, the most important meal of the day is served. This is called La Comida and is composed of four courses: soup, rice or pasta, meat or chicken, accompanied by tortillas and refried beans, and dessert. Dinner is served between eight and ten at night and consists mainly of sweet rolls, coffee, and milk.

 National Holidays and Celebrations-

 Many celebrations include the Quinceanera and weddings. Other national holidays are El Dia de los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo, Independence Day, and the Day of the Revolution. Mexico's most significant religious rituals are determined by the Catholic calendar. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in Mexico. After the conquest by the Spanish, Mexico's native indigenous people accepted this religion, without too much trouble. 

A quinceanera is a celebration for young girls who turn fifteen and are considered women from that moment on. Usually, big, costly ceremonies are made for the quinceanera with family members and friends. The girl has a chance to look beautiful and have all the attention upon her for that day. El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a national holiday dedicated to the deceased. Family members of the deceased go to their graves to cherish their family members and give them offerings of food or basically anything they want. This is celebrated on November 2nd. Cinco de Mayo, or 5th of May, is also a national holiday and is celebrated for the remembrance of the Mexican forces in the battle against the French invaders near the city of Puebla in 1862. Cinco de Mayo is an important symbol of national sovereignty and parades are held throughout the country. Independence Day is celebrated on the 16th of September and celebrates the start of the struggle for independence in 1810.  The Day of the Revolution, 20th of November, commemorates the planned uprising of Francisco Madero against the dictator Porfirio Díaz in 1910 that marked the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. Mexicans marry after a period of formal engagement that may last for many years. They are free to choose their marriage partners. However, as their tradition, Mexicans marry according to some rules related to class and ethnicity. The basis for marriage is love, but many look for partners that can provide stable security economically or socially. A marriage ceremony consists of a civil registration and a religious wedding. Afterwards, the couple holds a huge and costly party with family and friends.

Etiquette-

Mexican etiquette is strongly informed by the culture of social hierarchies and distance. These can exist along the lines of race and gender, but class distinctions regulate social interaction most decisively. In general, Mexicans typically shake hands when they meet. In the case of two women meeting or a man and a woman meeting, they kiss each other on the cheek once. In the case of close friends and on special occasions, Mexican men and women embrace each other, pat each other gently on the back, and then shake hands. This  sometimes expresses confidentiality and the crucial value of trust. In the case of two people who belong to different socioeconomic status meeting, the individual with the inferior status will wait for the person with superior status to define the terms of the encounter. Mexicans are very keen on being addressed with their academic or professional title. Mexicans value the art of eloquence. Conversations will mostly begin with polite and informal exchanges and slowly move toward the subject matter.

Traditional Music- 

Throughout history, musical expressions have experienced a huge evolution, from the sound of the drums of a Mayan or Aztec ceremony to the modern expressions of Mexican rap. However, this evolution is additive more than destructive. That means that, far from replacing music style with another, Mexican music rather incorporates previous rhythms and styles into new ones. The most widely known product of the Mexican music history is The Mariachi.

The term mariachi comes from two of the many native languages of Mexico, the Nahuatl and the Coca. Originally the word mariachi was used to refer to a dance performed by a group of dancers on a wooden platform. This means that the Mexican term mariachi was an equivalent to the Spanish term “Fandango". Nowadays, however, Mariachi refers to a certain music style, and also to the band that plays that music. The Mariachi was originated in the region of Jalisco, more exactly in the city of Guadalajara. At first, the Mariachi traveled from town to town singing about very common subjects, but mostly love. This caused the Mariachi style to spread throughout all Mexico, and soon it was the highest representative of the Mexican music. A typical Mariachi ensemble was formed by four or five guitars, a guitarrón (a sort of a large bass guitar), violins, some vihuelas (a kind of guitar with a round back), and a harp with 28 to 40 strings. In some regions of Mexico a small snare drum was commonly included into the ensemble. The Mariachi has become largely known all over the world and fairly represents what Mexican music is all about. 

For further information, visit these websites:
http://www.mexonline.com/entertan.htm
http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Mexico.html
http://www.geographia.com/mexico/mexicohistory.htm