Grito de Dolores
Every year on the night of September 15 the President of Mexico rings the bell of the National Palace in Mexico City at around eleven in the evening. After the ringing of the bell, he repeats a cry of patriotism (a Grito Mexicano) based upon the "Grito de Dolores". He calls out the names of the important heroes of the Mexican War of Independence and ends with the shout of Viva Mexico! (three times) from the balcony of the palace. After the shouting, he rings the bell again and waves the Flag of Mexico to the applause of the crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución. This is followed by the playing and mass singing of the Himno Nacional Mexicano, the national anthem. On the morning of September 16, or Independence Day, the national military parade starts in the Zócalo (another name for the Plaza de la Constitución). It goes past the Hidalgo Memorial and ends on the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s main boulevard.