FIESTA TIME! CINCO DE MAYO ARRIVES A BIT EARLY.Byline: Fred Ibarra Staff Writer How many holidays are known by their date? Well, there's the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. and Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo (Spanish; “Fifth of May”) Mexican holiday commemorating the Mexican victory over the French at Puebla in 1862. The French army, better-equipped and far larger than the Mexican army, had been sent by Napoleon III to conquer Mexico. . So you'd think they be celebrated on their dates, but don't count on it. Even though it's still April, the first Cinco de Mayo of the millennium is kicking off festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. a bit early - like this weekend. Los Angeles' Fiesta Broadway and the city of Long Beach's 15th annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration take place Sunday. Though the events are slated for the same day, each has a different audience, said Raymond Chavarria, chairman of the Cinco de Mayo committee in Long Beach. ``Ours is a community/family event ... more of a family day at Long Beach,'' he said. For 11 years, Fiesta Broadway ran the weekend before as a way to kick off the city's multiple Cinco de Mayo celebrations. ``Tom Bradley Noun 1. Tom Bradley - United States politician who was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles (1917-1998) Bradley, Thomas Bradley asked us to go a weekend before because the city of Los Angeles
``What's really different is that we're dedicating this year to children, and what makes it unique is that Dia de Los Ninos (Day of the Children) is celebrated in Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. always on April 30,'' Bellas added. With that comes the first Junior Grand Marshal for Fiesta Broadway 2000, 11-year-old Tatiana Bolanos, who will also be on stage, performing hits from her first album, which has gone gold. Other performers include Christian Castro, Carlos Ponce, Jose Jose, Eddie Santiago, Moenia, Gipsyland, Tiranos del Norte, Nydia Rojas, Charlie Bravo, Banda Machos, La Costumbre, Lorenzo de Monteclaro, Magica Juventud, Gerardito Fernandez, Carlos Pacheco and 11-year-old Denise Stefanie Gonzalez, who plays the role of young Selena in the musical based on the life of the Tejano star, ``Selena Forever.'' She will be making her singing debut on the same stage where Selena performed in 1992. Long Beach anticipates more than 10,000 visitors from noon to 7 p.m. at Recreation Park, 4900 E. Seventh St. (telephone 562-570-4514). Admission is free to the festivities, which include a car and bike exhibit, food booths, health fair, art exposition, carnival games, arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. , ballet folkloric dancers and a youth soccer tournament. ``It's been a tradition that we do it on or the Sunday before May 5,'' says Chavarria. Throughout 36 blocks of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or , the very popular Fiesta Broadway will feature concerts on six stages. Veronica Castro and Los Lobos headline on the main stage. The fiesta will run 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is also free. For information, call (310) 914-0015. |
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