Cinco de What?

Posted by guest blogger Carlos Gowen. Muchas gracias, Carlos!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! This Saturday marked the date of May 5th, or a day more commonly referred to as, “Cinco de Mayo.” Almost everybody has heard of the holiday called “Cinco de Mayo” and just as many people can identify this date on their calendar, but few can explain its origin. Where did this holiday come from? Is it more than just another day to kick back and enjoy a case of Coronas? Or is there something more to this catchy Spanish phrase?

“Cinco de Mayo,” Spanish for “Fifth of May,” is commonly thought of as Mexico’s “Independence Day,” in reality, this date is September 16th. On the other hand, Cinco de Mayois a holiday in remembrance of the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Originally Mexico was threatened by the nations of Britain, France and Spain due to its failure to pay back debts. The current president, Benito Juarez, was able to make a deal with Spain and Britain, but France on the other hand, sought to gain more out of the deal. This battle consisted of the greatly outnumbered Mexican Army’s forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza led and the French forces led by Emperor Napoleon III. The Mexican forces, outnumbered as they were, put up a fight and six years later the French forces pulled out. The victory of the Mexican forces over the French marked the turning point for the Mexican’s eventual gaining of their independence.

Seeing that this date was a decisive victory for the Mexican forces it would logically seem that it would be a popular national holiday in Mexico, right? Wrong. Cinco de Mayo, even though it is a national holiday, is celebrated more regionally than as a whole nation in Mexico, its true popularity is found in none other than our own U.S.A. Although it is celebrated in Puebla, Puebla, where the actual battle was fought, the holiday is not as popular as it is made out to be. In the United States, however, Cinco de Mayo is seen as just another holiday of festivity to recognize the culture of Mexico. It is quite like other holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest, which celebrate the Irish and German cultures.

So what do you think? Do you think Cinco de Mayo is blown out of proportion here in the U.S.? Do you think people actually understand why it’s even a holiday? What are some things that you learned from reading this that you previously had not known?