Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated in the United States and in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla). Mexican Americans also often see the day as a source of pride; one way they can honor their ethnicity is to celebrate this day.

Back in 1861, France sent army to occupy over Mexico, they wanted to collect on some war debts. The French army was superior to Mexican army in every aspect. French force was much larger, well trained and better equipped as compared to Mexicans. French army rolled through Mexico until it reached Puebla, where the Mexicans made a gallant stand, and, against all logic, won a great victory. Although, it was brief, as the French army came-together again and continued; finally taking Mexico City, but the jubilation of an unlikely victory against all the odds is commemorated every May 5^th.

On May 9, 1862, President Juárez declared that the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla would be a national holiday regarded as “Battle of Puebla Day” or “Battle of Cinco de Mayo”.

Although Mexican citizens feel very proud of the meaning of the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, today it is not observed as a national holiday in Mexico. However, all public schools are closed nation-wide in Mexico on May 5^th.The day is an official holiday in the State of Puebla, where the Battle took place, and also a full holiday (no work) in the neighboring State of Veracruz.

Events tied to Cinco de Mayo also occur outside Mexico and the United States. As in the United States, celebrations elsewhere also emphasize Mexican cuisine, culture and music. For example, Windsor, Ontario, holds an American-style “Cinco de Mayo Street Festival”, some Canadian pubs play Mexican music and serve Mexican food and drink, and a sky-diving club near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, holds a Cinco de Mayo skydiving event. In the Cayman Islands, in the Caribbean, there is an annual Cinco de Mayo air guitar competition and at Montego Bay, Jamaica, there is a Cinco de Mayo celebration