Cinco de Mayo...giving white people in America a reason to drink tequila and act stupid for over 140 years!
Cinco de Mayo is not, as most people believe, Mexican Independance day. That day is September 16th. Cinco de Mayo commerates the battle of Pueblo, where Mexicans met the French in one of the bloodiest battles in Mexico's history.
According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in California in the 1860s in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. The paper notes that:
"The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico."The holiday of Cinco de Mayo is primarily a regional holiday in Mexico, celebrated in the state of Puebla. There is some limited recognition of the holiday in other parts of the country.
So, make a "run for the border", hit your favorite Mexican restaurant, or just go to the local watering hole and have a Dos Equiis, a shot of Two Fingers and eat the worm in honor of the most misinterpreted Mexican holiday, "5 of May!
¡En este Cinco de Mayo, les deseo a todos mis familiares y amigos un día maravilloso y feliz!
1 comment:
Wow. I had no idea that the French were involved in any way with this. I also had no clue their true independence day was in September. It's funny how when you grow up celebrating a holiday like cinco de mayo you just don't always pay attention to the history of it.
Post a Comment