SOURCE: DESERET.COM

National Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off on Sept. 15. 

Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month! This celebratory month kicked off Sept. 15 and ends Oct. 15, giving plenty of time to enjoy your local Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.

When was National Hispanic Heritage Month first celebrated in the U.S.?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Hispanic Heritage Month was first celebrated in 1968. Back then, it was only celebrated as “Hispanic Heritage Week.” It was officially extended to a month in 1988, giving ample time for people to celebrate.

National Hispanic Heritage Month also encapsulates multiple Latin American independence days, such as the Independence Day of Honduras on Sept. 15, Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16 and much more.

Why is Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated on Sept. 15th?

Per NationalHispanicHeritageMonth.gov, “The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.”

Read a book by a Hispanic or Latino author

A great way to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month is by reading some Hispanic or Latino literature. Whether it’s contemporary or classic literature, there are a lot of beautifully translated works to choose from:

• “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Záfon.
• “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes.
• “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
• “The Witness” by Juan Jose Saer.
• “Collected Fictions” by Jorge Luis Borges.

If you’re looking for more books by Hispanic or Latino authors, Barnes & Nobles has an extensive list of books to check out.

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