By Brittany Lauro –
Media Credit: KRT Campus
Get your guacamole and your enchiladas ready, because Cinco de Mayo is on its way!
Translating as “the fifth of May”, the holiday is generally thought to be the celebration of Mexico’s independence day. This idea, however, is false.
According to the Kaboose website, Cinco de Mayo is in fact the anniversary of a battle that took place between the Mexicans and the French in 1862. The battle is known as the Battle of Puebla, and it celebrates Mexico’s unlikely victory over the French.
It also commemorates a historic moment for Mexican national pride in which their undersized, poorly armed unit of approximately 4,500 men was able to defeat the well-resourced French army of 6,500 soldiers.
The holiday is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where it is referred to as “El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla” meaning
“The Day of the Battle of Puebla.”
For those in the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Battle of Puebla under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. For U.S. citizens, however, the day is a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, as well as an effort to honor freedom and democracy during the primary years of the American Civil War.
Mexicans and Latinos living in California during the American Civil War are credited with being the first to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the United States. United Press International reports “The holiday crossed over into the United States in the 1950s and 1960s but didn’t gain popularity until the 1980s when marketers, especially beer companies, capitalized on the celebratory nature of the day and began to promote it.”
Today, the largest Cinco de Mayo event in the world is held in Los Angeles, California, where more than half a million people rejoice with vivacious music and delicious foods. The celebration is called the Fiesta Broadway, and takes up approximately 24 square blocks of downtown Los Angeles.
Interestingly enough, it is speculated that Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo more than Mexicans do. According to an article titled “Why Is Cinco de Mayo celebrated more in the U.S. than in Mexico?”, Mexico celebrates Cinco de Mayo in a very-low key manner. While schoolkids get the day off from school, the major parades and fiestas mainly take place in the city of Puebla, where a military parade is held and a mock battle is staged to commemorate the Battle of Puebla.
In America, however, the holiday is highly celebrated in regions all over the country, as Americans honor Mexican culture and history by eating Mexican food and wearing Cinco de Mayo clothes.
While she will not be attending this year’s extravagant Fiesta Broadway, sophomore Bridgett Smith states, “I’m going to New York but I’m bringing my sombrero!”
Hopefully, other students at Salve Regina will be just as festive on Cinco de Mayo, and have fun as they truly get into the holiday spirit.
