Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Cinco de Mayo is a celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken to be Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national holiday in Mexico—which is celebrated on September 16.
For anyone who has lived in California, it's practically obligatory to celebrate the Fifth of May with friends, party and lots of alcohol. So have tons of fun but do it responsibly.
Feliz Cinco de Mayo
So to all the Mexican-American folks in the West of the United States and Mexico, here is to you; and for those who are curious about how it came to be, read on:
Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day. In the U.S., Cinco de Mayo is generally mistaken to be Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national holiday in Mexico—which is celebrated on September 16.
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).
It originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War, and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.
[ read more on Wikipedia ]
