A ''grito'' or ''grito mexicano'' (, Spanish for "shout") is a common Mexican

interjection An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling or reaction. It is a diverse category, encompassing many different parts of speech, such as exclamations ''(ouch!'', ''wow!''), curse ...

, used as an expression.

Characteristics

This interjection is similar to the ''

yahoo Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...

'' or ''

yeehaw Ya haw or Yee-haw may refer to: *"Yee-Haw", a british dance otherwise known as the, "Jolly Swig Swag" *"Yee Haw", a song by Jake Owen *"Yee Haw", a song by The BossHoss *Yeehaw Junction, Florida See also * Rebel yell The rebel yell was a ...

'' of the American cowboy during a

hoedown A hoedown is a type of American folk dance or square dance in duple meter, and also the musical form associated with it. Overview The most popular sense of the term is associated with Americans in rural or southeastern parts of the country, par ...

, with added

ululation Ululation (), , is a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl with a trilling quality. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied with a rapid back and forth movement of the tongue and the uvula The palati ...

trills and

onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...

closer to "aaah" or "aaaayyyyeeee", that resemble a laugh while performing it. The first sound is typically held as long as possible, leaving enough breath for a trailing set of trills.

Usage

The ''grito'' is sometimes used as part of the official remembrance of the Shout of Dolores, during the celebration of

Mexican Independence Day Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

. The ''grito mexicano'' has patriotic connotations. It is commonly done immediately prior to the popular Mexican

war cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious ...

: "¡Viva Mexico, Señores!" (Long live Mexico!, Gentlemen!).

References

Mexican culture Mexican Spanish Spanish words and phrases Mexican-American culture {{culture-stub