If you aren’t familiar with the Cinco de Mayo celebration, it is a celebration of the defeat of the French, by a much smaller Mexican army, back in 1862. The battle was the Battle of Puebla. It is celebrated by people of Mexican heritage along with most of the United States. It is very evident by packed Mexican restaurants on May 5th every year. I’m almost positive that most of those celebrating this occasion are clueless as to why Cinco de Mayo is a celebrated holiday.
In fact, Cinco de Mayo has become very popular in the United States and has become one of the largest days of beer and wine sales in the U.S., thanks to promotion by the beer and wine industries. In Mexico, the lack of a big deal with Cinco de Mayo may be in part to the fact that a year after Mexico’s big win, France came back with a larger group of soldiers and defeated Mexico this time.
Puebla holds parades and festivals in honor of the time that they defeated a much larger group of French soldiers. They hold these activities each year. They even do a re-enactment of the battle, so if you are ever in Pueblo, Mexico on May 5th, it could be a day filled with entertainment possibly worth going out of your way to see.
Continue reading “Cinco de Mayo Memories”
