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Citizens of the River: Life along the Rio Grande
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10427 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
2 / 1993 |
2,814 Words |
| Author
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Larry D. Hodge
Lorry D. Hodge is a free-lance photojournalist living in
Mason, Texas. He has written extensively on life in Texas. |
Smiling nervously with feet planted firmly in their respective countries the four children--two girls and two boys--advance toward each other until they meet, embracing as even unsentimental onlookers get teary eyed. Then everyone gets into the act. City, county, state, and national officials from both sides of the Rio Grande exchange ceremonial abrazos at the Center of International Bridge 2 between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Immediately after, a parade of hundred floats from both sides of the border winds through the streets of Laredo.
The two events are preceded and followed by a host of others, from jalapeno eating contests to a banquet honoring the year's Senores Internacional, two men or women (one from each country) chosen for contributions to improving international relations between Mexico and the United States.
This particular occasion is los dos Laredo's Washington' s Birthday celebration, and it is the largest U.S. event honoring the father of our country. Approaching its hundredth anniversary (the event has been held annually since 1898), this fiesta with an international flavor has been called the Fourth of July, Cinco de Mayo, and Diez y Seis de Septiembre all rolled into one. Like all aspects of life along the Rio Grande, the festival draws from both cultures and, in so doing, becomes something that is neither.
But why an international celebration of George Washington's birthday? The roots go deep into the history of the Western Hemisphere. Washington inspired Simon Bolivar, the liberator of many South American countries from Spanish rule. The spirit of democracy knew no national bounds--the future president of the Republic of Texas during the Texas Revolution, David Burnet, in 1806 commanded the Venezuelan gunboat that fired the first shot for South American independence. "Latin Americans' admiration for George Washington is as deep their reverence for Bolivar, Hidalgo, and Juarez," says Odie Arambula, past president of the association sponsoring the Laredo celebration.
Party time with a purpose
Like los dos Laredo's Washington's Birthday celebration, most of the border festivals held along the Rio Grande throughout the year share a dual theme: preservation of the area's rich history and promotion of friendly relations between Texas and Mexico. Brownsville's Charro Days, also held each February, exemplifies the spirit. This American celebrations, and heritage of the Mexican people. "You have a part
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