If you turn on the television in the United States on New Year’s Eve, you’ll probably see Dick Clark, the Apple dropping in New York, hoards of people in time square making as much noise as possible, famous singers, and even some people dancing.

If you turn on the T.V. in Latin America, or in the U.S. to a Latin channel, chances are you will see dancing, dancing, and more dancing. The Latin people love to dance. We discussed briefly about Latin music and dancing in a newsletter earlier this year, but I want to spend a little more time on it today. Latin music is rich in culture; there is Salsa music, Meregue music, Tango music, and many other types of wonderful types of Latin music. The most popular and widely danced are probably the Salsa and the Merengue. They have a wonderful sound and beat. Unlike in the U.S. where you just move your body around to music (I’m exaggerating a little), dancing to Latin music usually takes a little bit more practice. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, Latin parties (fiestas) always have dancing. If there is a Latin party without dancing, it is quite simply not called a “fiesta” (party).

When and if you turn on the T.V. this “Año nuevo” (New Year’s Eve), be sure to spend at least a few minutes watching the Latin channel(s) so you can get a good flavor for Latin music, dancing, and culture. I personally love to watch and listen to all types of Latin music. Trying to dance to it can also be quite fun. For “Año nuevo” in the past, I have gone Latin dancing with my wife and some Latin friends and we all loved it. They had a big buffet-type dinner first with Latin food, and then we all danced for hours. I have to say, I am not a great Latin dancer but I loved trying to dance and being surrounded by the Latin culture.

I would be excited if some of you, after reading this newsletter, decided to go Latin dancing for “Año nuevo”. If you do, please drop me a line afterwards and let me know how it went. I would love to hear from you.

For those of you who like dancing and want to get a taste for Latin culture, dancing, and practice some Spanish at the same time, I highly recommend enrolling in a Latin dance class; and if it were me, I would choose Salsa dancing. Like learning Spanish, enrolling in a Latin dance class can be a great New Year’s Resolution!

¡Próspero Año Nuevo! (Happy New Year!)

¡Hasta luego! (“Until later”)
David S. Clark — President / Director
U.S. Institute of Languages

noventa y cinco porciento – 95%
es Católico – is Catholic
una mayoría – a majority
durante el verano – during the summer
más tarde – later
primero vamos a hablar – first let’s talk
acerca de – about
Navidad – Christmas
Noche Buena – Christmas Eve
tan pronto como – as soon as
termina de hablar – finishes speaking
medianoche – midnight
para la familia – for the family
ayudante – helper
ya que – since
la cena Navideña – the Christmas dinner
es un pavo tradicional – is a traditional turkey
el dinero suficiente – enough money
dinero – money
pollo – chicken
juegan con sus regalos – play with their gifts
generalmente duermen tarde – generally they sleep in
para la Nochevieja – for New Year’s Eve
y como la Navidad – and like Christmas
una muñeca grande – a large doll
ropa vieja – old clothes
muñecas grandes – large dolls
en las calles – in the streets
y las queman – and they burn them
para mucha gente – for many people
la persona vieja – the old person
una persona nueva – a new person
cualquier parte del mundo – any part of the world
familia a familia – family to family
región a región – region to region
como regalo de Navidad – as a Christmas gift
si ordenan antes de las 2:00 – if you order before 2:00
para nuestra oferta actual – for our current sale

Because about noventa y cinco porciento of Latin America es Católico, Christmas is as widely or even more widely celebrated than in the United States. Also, because una mayoría of Latin Americans live south of the equator, for them Christmas is actually durante el verano. As you will see más tarde, these influence some of their holiday traditions.

Primero vamos a hablar acerca de Navidad. In Latin America, on Noche Buena, there is a Mass (religious worship service) at many Christian churches at 11:00 p.m. Tan pronto como the preacher or priest termina de hablar, the children run home to await Santa Claus who usually arrives around 12:00 (medianoche) with gifts (in many regions of Latin America). He knocks on the door and brings the gifts in para la familia. (For those of you under age 10 reading our newsletter: Since Santa cannot be at everyone’s home at the same time, he usually gets a neighbor to be his official ayudante.)

Ya que they live in a warmer climate, there are fireworks around medianoche. La cena Navideña is also after medianoche where the main course es un pavo tradicional. Families that customarily would not have el dinero suficiente to buy a turkey try to save their dinero beforehand to make it possible. If they still do not have el dinero suficiente for un pavo, they eat pollo. After dinner, children will usually juegan con sus regalos for a few hours and then go to bed around 3:00 a.m. Needless to say, generalmente duermen tarde on Christmas morning.

Para la Nochevieja they stay up at least until medianoche (like we do here in the U.S. ) y como la Navidad, they again light fireworks. One thing they do in many regions that I found interesting is they build una muñeca grande out of ropa vieja — usually stuffed with straw. On New Year’s Eve (Nochevieja) [no-chay bee-eh-hah] around medianoche they take their muñecas grandes out en las calles, light them on fire, y las queman. (Do not try this at home!) Para mucha gente, this represents the end of “la persona vieja” and the beginning of “una persona nueva”.

As with cualquier parte del mundo, traditions vary somewhat from familia a familia and región a región.

¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo! (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!)

Sneak peek at next week: Dancing and Año Nuevo (New Years)

David S. Clark — President / Director
Visual Link Spanish™
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The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The Fifth Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexicans over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, but is also celebrated in other parts of the country and in U.S.cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico’s Independance Day, which is actually September 16.

Setting The Stage
The battle at Puebla in 1862 happened at a violent and chaotic time in Mexico’s history. Mexico had finally gained independence from Spain in 1810, and a number of internal political takeovers and wars, including the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Mexican Civil War of 1858, had mostly wiped out the national economy.

During this period Mexico had accumulated heavy debts to several nations, including Spain, England and France, who were demanding payment. Similar debt to the U.S. was previously cleared after the Mexican-American War. France was eager to add to its empire at that time, and when Mexico finally stopped making any loan payments, France used the debt issue to establish its own leadership in Mexico by installing Napoleon’s relative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico.

Mexico Confronts The Invasion
France invaded the Gulf coast of Mexico and began to march toward Mexico City. Although American President Abraham Lincoln was sympathetic to Mexico’s cause, and for which he is honored in Mexico, the U.S. was involved in its own Civil War at the time and was unable to provide any direct assistance.

Marching on toward Mexico City from the coast, the French army encountered strong resistance at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. Lead by Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, a small, poorly armed militia of about 4,500 were able to stop and defeat a well outfitted French army of 6,500 soldiers, which halted the invasion of the country. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriots and is the cause for the historical date’s celebration.

Unfortunately, the victory was short lived. Upon hearing the bad news, Napoleon had found an excuse to send more troops overseas to try and invade Mexico again, against the wishes of the French populace. 30,000 more troops and a full year later, the French were eventually able to depose the Mexican army, take over Mexico City and install Maximilian as the ruler of Mexico.

Maximilian’s rule of Mexico was also short lived, from 1864 to 1867, ending as the U.S. began to provide more political and military assistance to Mexico to expel the French. Despite the eventual French invasion of Mexico City, Cinco de Mayo honors the bravery and victory of General Zaragoza’s small, outnumbered militia at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Today’s Celebration
For the most part, the holiday of Cinco de Mayo is more of a regional holiday in Mexico, celebrated most vigorously in the state of Puebla. Though there is recognition of the holiday throughout the whole country, it’s nothing like that found in Puebla.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the U.S. that have a high population of people with a Mexican heritage. In these areas the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, beverage and customs unique to Mexico.
Commercial interests in the United States and Mexico have also been successful in promoting the holiday, with products and services focused on Mexican food, beverage and festive items. Increasingly more cities in the U.S. and Mexico catering to a festive consumer are also more than happy to provide a venue to celebrate, so that Cinco de Mayo is becoming adopted into the holiday calendar of more and more people every year.

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