HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR CINCO DE MAYO EVENT AT CITYWALK.Byline: Sonia Giordani Staff Writer Brenton Santana immigrated to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. 13 years ago, but pride in his Mexican heritage remains strong. ``Culture, tradition - they're something that should not be forgotten. Those are your roots,'' said Santana, a Van Nuys resident who with his 4-year-old daughter Nicole was among the hundreds to attend Universal CityWalk's 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. celebration Saturday. ``A lot of people have been here a long time, but it's good to have this (kind of celebration) once in a while, especially for the kids,'' said Santana. Local families and tourists alike flocked to stages to watch mariachi bands and dance troupes performing to traditional and modern Mexican songs. And dozens of kids sat at 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. booths. ``We came for the festival and because it's a nice day to take the kids out and learn about their heritage,'' said Sally Rosa, a Sun Valley resident whose mother is from Mazatlan. Rosa's son, Hector, said his mother explained the significance of the holiday - the celebration of the victory of Mexican solders over the French army in the Battle of Puebla Noun 1. Battle of Puebla - a battle in which Mexican forces defeated the French in 1862 Mexico, United Mexican States - a republic in southern North America; became independent from Spain in 1810 in 1862. ``It's also a time to spend with your family,'' said Hector, who sat making origami The code name for Microsoft's Ultra-Mobile PC. See Ultra-Mobile PC. at an arts and crafts booth. Cinco de Mayo, which in English means Fifth of May, celebrates the victory of the Mexican soldiers in that battle. President George W. Bush honored the Cinco de Mayo holiday Saturday in his weekly radio address, renewing his pledge to help the ``entire American familia This article is about the Polish political party. For other uses, see Familia (disambiguation). Familia ("The Family," from the Romain familia achieve prosperity'' and praising Mexican immigrants for their `'strong values and their determination to create a better life for themselves and their children.'' The celebration at CityWalk drew revelers from all parts of California. Pedro Munoz Pedro Munoz (born September 19, 1968) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics. External Links
``This was an important holiday for the Mexican people. They fought in a small army and defeated the French, who were the very strongest at the time,'' said Munoz, who watched traditional Mexican dancers and mariachi singers with his 12-year-old daughter Cindy. ``It's nice that we celebrate this in almost all the cities of California,'' he said. Dancers from all parts of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, turned out. Some young women wore traditional flowing gowns and danced folkorico, while others wore sequined se·quin n. 1. A small shiny ornamental disk, often sewn on cloth; a spangle. 2. A gold coin of the Venetian Republic. Also called zecchino. tr.v. dresses prepared to dance modern Latin style. But all the day's dances were a celebration of Mexican culture. ``You dance for the culture your parents passed on to you,'' said Imelda Olivas, 16, who danced with a group called Alma Latina, which means Latin Soul. ``We still keep the culture alive.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Papier-mache skeleton dolls honoring the dead are for sale at the Cinco de Mayo festival. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News (2) Angel Rodriguez of Van Nuys poses for an unusual picture at Universal CityWalk. (3) Dancers in traditional Aztec garb entertain the crowds at the CityWalk Cinco de Mayo festival. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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