Some of Lubbock’s events focus on ancestral homelands and celebrations of freedom, civil rights and history.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is celebrated on the third Monday in January to honor the civil rights activist’s work, is sometimes linked to three or four days of events that draw attendance by a large proportion of blacks.
Events of particular interest to blacks also are held during the month of February as a celebration of February as Black History Month.
Hispanics in Lubbock begin their year’s celebrations in March with a Cesar Chavez march to honor the civil rights worker who advocated for the rights of farm workers that involved primarily laborers of Mexican descent.
Lubbock Hispanics also celebrate the Day of the Child during April. It is designed to honor children.
A particularly large celebration near May 5th is held by Hispanics of Mexican descent. Called Cinco de Mayo, it commemorates a victorious battle May 5, 1862, by Mexico against the French.
By using primitive weapons, farmers and townspeople were able to push the French back initially in a stunning victory.
On June 19, and sometimes for three or four days preceding it, Lubbock’s blacks and others celebrate an event called Juneteenth. It commemorates the announcement in Galveston on June 19, 1865, by Gen. Gordon Granger, that freedom for slaves had become actual in Texas.
The event is celebrated with choirs, barbecue lunches and a parade.
According to Christy Martinez-Garcia of Lubbock, a golf event for Hispanic women is held in July. It brings together women for golf, lunch, and also is an event to learn about breast cancer and heart disease.
In August, the Hispanics of Lubbock gather at the Buddy Holly Recreation Area for a free fishing event called “Let’s go Fishing.”
Mexico’s independence day, Sept. 16, 1810, is celebrated in Lubbock by reenactments that memorialize the cry for freedom during the domination of Mexico by Spain.
That war also continued for a number of years, but eventually resulted in Mexico’s independence.
Hispanics celebrate the day of the Dead on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. The first celebration, called Day of the Angels, emphasizes children.
“We honor the children,” Martinez-Garcia said. “And we do it through literacy. We encourage children to read, because the books are what help them to advance.”
The second day of the celebration is called All Souls Day, and is considered a religious holiday by Hispanics.
Las Posadas is celebrated from Dec. 16 through Dec. 24. It consists of reenactments of the time when Mary and Joseph looked for a place to stay for the birth of Jesus.
Las Posadas is Spanish for “the inn,” and the reenactments typically involve a search for lodging.
Then, it concludes with the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25, the day of Christmas.