Texans Create a Unique Culture
Guide to Reading
Main Idea
A diversity of celebrations brought to Texas help the state preserve their distinct and independent cultural heritage.
Key Terms
Diversity
Reading Strategy
As you go through this section, think about the following festivals and their origins. Complete a chart like the one you see below.
Read to Learn
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About how immigrants have brought new cultures to Texas
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About how different cultures and festivals in Texas
Section Theme
Festivals and Cultures: Immigrants moving to Texas most of many brought a diversity of cultures and traditions with them. Texans’ lives and how they celebrate their heritage was forever changed.
Preview of Events
A Texas Story
Asian immigrants, such as Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Koreans, mainly immigrated in the 1970s. They brought their cultures and festivals with them. In particular, one the festivals that has gotten more prominence is Lunar New Year. It was a festival to honor ancestors and other sacred beings. People decorate their houses with red paper cutouts and join to have dinner with their families. They gather at parades and dancers dress up as lions and dragons to perform dances as onlookers are watching.
Ethnic Celebrations
Throughout Texas history, people from different cultures have met and celebrated together. Spanish explorers and Native Americans often had feasts of thanksgiving and fellowship. Recent increases in population have brought increased diversity and ethnic pride as well. Mexican Americans boldly proclaimed a renewed public pride in their heritage. Inspired
by their example, people of other ethnic groups began celebrating their past. One expression of
the renewed interest in ethnic heritage was the expansion of existing festivals and the creation
of new ones. The festivals featured music, food, crafts, dance, art, games, and other forms of
entertainment. These events have become so popular that since the 1990s a different one is
held almost every week of the year.
One of the most popular festivals celebrated in Texas is the Lunar New Year. It is a tradition for the old to give the children red envelopes filled with money to represent prosperity. There is an ancient story that tells the tale of Chinese New Year. There used to be a man-eating monster who would come to the nearby village every New Year’s Eve. The village people didn’t know how to scare away Nian, until a traveler told them. To scare away Nian, you had to make loud noises and use the color red. Since then, it has been a tradition to light firecrackers, use red, and perform the lion dance.
Irish heritage is emphasized on St. Patrick’s Day. Texans dress in green and march in parades. The towns of Dublin, in Erath County, and Shamrock, located in the Panhandle, hold major celebrations. Acadians (also referred to as Cajuns) have a French heritage and celebrate mainly in southeast Texas. A highlight of most Cajun festivals is a crawfish race. Cajun bands feature fiddles and accordions playing vigorous dance tunes. African Americans with French heritage have developed a truly unique musical style called zydeco that adapts everyday objects for use as musical instruments. A grand ethnic celebration is held on the grounds of the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio each summer.
✔ Reading Check : Evaluating What is the importance of traditional celebrations?
Lunar New Year: This is also known as
The Spring Festival. It’s name came from the Chinese calendar: the lunisolar calendar. The lion dance is a popular dance celebrated on Lunar New Year, used to ward off bad spirits.
St. Patrick's Day: Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.
Diwali: Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights,
celebrates the Lord Rama coming back from being
in exile. Fireworks are usually set off at night
with dancers dancing in the front. Families gather
together and eat sweets to celebrate this joyous
celebration in late October or early November
on the New Moon.
Other Festivals
Festivals don’t always celebrate an ethnic group or certain traditions. One example is the Poteet Strawberry Festival located in Poteet, Texas. This annual festival celebrates the red, ripe fruit Poteet is known for. Known as the largest agricultural festival in Texas, this celebration brings people from far and near to taste strawberries in “an array of delectable permutations.” Other festivals celebrate a certain group of people. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo celebrate the famous group in the Wild West known as cowboys. Cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country compete in rodeo events, such as steer wrestling and barrel racing. Another festival in Corpus Christi, Texas celebrates the legendary conquerors of the sea, pirates. Called the Buccaneer Days, one of the main attractions is capturing the mayor and making him/her walk the plank, just like how pirates used to get rid of their prisoners.
Texas is made up of many different cultures, which means that there are numerous amounts of music. One of the largest music festivals in Texas is the SXSW Festival for Music, Film, and Interactive located in Austin, Texas. The Music portion is from March 15-20 and showcases different genres of music at places all around Austin. Other music festivals include Texas Music Revolution, Old Settler’s Music Festival, and Kerrville Folk Festival. The Texas Music Revolution is located in Plano, Texas and celebrates country music. Old Settler’s Music Festival is located in Driftwood, Texas and celebrates bluegrass music. Finally, Kerrville Folk Festival is located in Kerrville, Texas and celebrates traditional folk music.
Historical Festivals and Celebration
Among Texas’s holidays are, Texas Independence Day (March 6), Emancipations Day (June 19), and President George W. Bush (July 6). In Texas, people have celebrations based on their own culture and different historical events. For example, people also celebrate Texas Last Frontier Heritage Celebrations which celebrates the Texas Native American History every year and many more. The Alamo is also a battleground visited by many people because it is where many of the brave soldiers fought against Santa Anna, There are many more celebrations that are practiced today by the Texans. Texas is one of the most diverse states in the United States so that is why are many different celebrations and festivals. All of the celebrations and festivals have a specific background and they also have different ways people celebrate. These celebrations are very important because the people that live in Texas came from around the globe so each celebration has a significant value to them.
Importance of Celebrations
There are two important conclusions we can draw from observing the countless celebrations that Texans hold annually. The most important aspect is its ethnic diversity.The presence of so many celebrations shows that pride in one’s ethnic heritage does not prevent appreciation of another's. Texans enjoy the music, the food, and the dances of many traditions. When individuals from different cultures come together, they share and cherish their symbols and items that mean a lot to them.
Texans are proud of their historical reenactments and living history. Often, in celebrations, participants dress up as a meaningful figure of their celebration. They put away and turn off modern conveniences including phones, televisions, and air conditioners. They do these acts because texas’ history is inspiring and unique. Texas has been changing since the past and we must observe, preserve and learn our heritage.
✔ Reading Check : Examining... Why does Texas have so many different celebrations?
This is an image of the Strawberry Festival happening in Texas. As you can tell, the streets ae decked in red in prep for the festivial.
Section 3 Assessment
Checking for Understanding
1.Using Key Terms Write a sentence using the term diversity.
2.Reviewing Facts List three festivals that were brought to Texas and name the cities or towns where it takes place.
Reviewing Themes
3.Culture and Traditions How are religious holidays and other festivals important to the different times of Texans?
Organizing to Learn
4. Identify Locations The following festivals arrived in Texas with immigrants. Create a chart like the one shown below and identify the country of origin.
Critical Thinking
5. Decision Making Choose a festival or celebration in Texas that you would like to attend. Give at least two reasons for your interest in the event that you select.