I tasted the savory food as the homey music blasted in the background around me. It was el 24 de Diciembre (the 24th of December). My family and I were gathered together to celebrate Christmas like we do every year, just like millions of Hispanics do annually.
Being a Hispanic American is an experience that I would never trade for anything else. The combination of both cultures, brought by my parents and my own growing up in the U.S. has been interesting.
Since I am a first-generation Latina, I would say I identify more with my Hispanic roots because they are more prominent in my life, and the only “American” experience I get is going to school in the U.S. and speaking English, too.
I’m probably biased when I say that I believe Hispanic food to be the best there is around. You could take American food away from me and I wouldn’t be too disappointed as long as I didn’t have my Hispanic cuisine taken from me.
I’m not just limited to the food from my own country, Honduras. I love and enjoy the food fusions from other places in Latin America as well, given that we have the right amount of sazon to accompany our food. Honduran baleadas, Salvadoran pupusas, Mexican birria tacos, and many more dishes make up the beautiful delicacies that both Hispanics and non-Hispanics can enjoy.
Growing up in a Hispanic household, certain celebrations or ways of celebrating are different from their American counterparts. For example, Latinos celebrate Christmas on December 24th instead of the 25th, and we normally do so by staying up past midnight and exchanging gifts merrily.
We tend to dress up, as it’s one of the only nights a year we have the opportunity to do so. We interact and spend quality time with our many extended families, with whom we foster close relationships.
The Spanish language does live up to its Romance language status, and I can attest to that because I’m bilingual myself. I’m proud of having the ability and knowledge to switch over to Spanish whenever I feel like it because some things are better expressed in their original language and context.
I really appreciate the fact that there are approximately 20 Spanish-speaking countries in the world, and although we all speak the language a bit differently (every country has their own accent), we still understand and love our Hispanic brethren just the same.
Hispanics and Latinos are not defined by a specific race. A lot of us come from a mixed race background from centuries ago, including Spanish, indigenous, and some from African ancestry, too. This explains why Latinos are some of the most diverse-looking people you’ll find.
While the majority of us are short in stature, you will most certainly find a tall one among the bunch. We come in all different colors, hair textures, and features, all of which contribute to our overall diverse appearance. No two Hispanics look the same, even though they might belong to the same country or region of Latin America.
I find Hispanic diversity beautiful because it shows that we can look and talk a bit differently while still being united by a common language, and traditions, and being members of the same general region.
