Old Ways Given New Whirl on Cinco de Mayo : Celebrations: Families in Moorpark and Oxnard revel in carnivals featuring traditional Mexican foods and games.

Her face painted like a doll, Elizabeth Andrade fluttered a fan before her eyes and spun in circles in a flowing, tiered white dress. She and her sister Erika stamped a quick staccato.

“My parents wanted me to follow their footsteps,” Elizabeth said after her performance. “That’s the way they used to celebrate in the old days.”

Dancers, mariachi bands and singers brought Mexico to Ventura County Saturday in two fiestas celebrating Cinco de Mayo. The Mexican holiday today commemorates May 5, 1862, when a poorly armed force of Mexicans defeated thousands of French troops. Although the French continued to dominate Mexico for five years, the May 5 victory became a symbol of national pride.

Families in both Moorpark and Oxnard reveled in carnivals that featured traditional foods and games. The entertainers took special pride in ornately detailed costumes and in sharing their art.

“One day if I get married, I want the children to learn the culture of their grandparents,” said Elizabeth, 14. Besides, she added, the lace dress makes her feel pretty.

Maria Lozano, one of many mothers admiring their young daughters in Moorpark, has spent 20 years in the United States working at Egg City while her husband picks produce in the area farms. Watching her 9-year-old perform, she said, makes her homesick for her native land.

“On Cinco de Mayo we have an opportunity to be free,” she said.

The aroma of beef sizzling on open grills wafted through the air at both carnivals, as vendors prepared tacos and tamales. An occasional Chinese booth appeared among the Mexican stands.

Children frolicked from game booth to game booth and rode the Ferris wheel in Oxnard where the Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce sponsored the events, which continue today.

In Moorpark after a day at the fair Saturday, adults returned to the community center in the evening for a dance sponsored by the city.

Together the celebrations were expected to draw more than 50,000 people this weekend, organizers said.

“Mexico is really one of the . . . richest cultures,” said Theresa Cortes, choreographer for the Ballet Folklorico de Moorpark. “We have so many different costumes.”

From the black velvet dresses of Mexico City to light, cotton smocks from the balmier parts of southern Mexico, dancers modeled detailed costumes from each Mexican region.

“Even the way the hair is fixed has a meaning,” said Cortes, a 10-year resident of Moorpark.

In Veracruz where it is very hot, the women knot their hair on top of their heads to stay cool. But in the Sinaloa region in western Mexico, women braid their hair and pin it up with fancy barrettes and flowers to show off its length.

The dancers styled their locks to go with their regional costumes.

“For these kids, it is a way to show their pride and who they are,” Cortes said.

The musicians performed in charros , the short, fitted jackets and dark pants of the mariachi bands. Women musicians wore A-line skirts, sequins and more vibrant colors for their charros .

“When we do this, it encourages other races to take part in their culture,” said Oxnard singer Delia Gonzalez. “It’s a form of expression of who we are and that we’re proud of it. We mustn’t let it die.”