The fifth of May -- Cinco de Mayo in Spanish -- is a national holiday in Mexico, although it is generally celebrated in Mexican-American communities in the U.S. on a much larger scale.
It is often confused with the Mexican Independence Day (el Dieciseis de Septiembre), which occurred on September 16, 1810, about 50 years earlier. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The victory was an important step for Mexico in her fight for independence. Today in Mexico, and in Mexican-American communities, May 5 brings celebrations, fiestas, and parades.
This day marks the victory of a small, poorly armed force of around 4,500 soldiers over the French invasion of a well-armed, professional army led by Napoleon III that had about 8,000 soldiers. This battle is popularly known as the legendary Battle of Puebla. The battle lasted for 4 hours and ended in the victory of the small Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. So Cinco de mayo is hugely celebrated with pomp , gaiety and fiestas in the traditional Mexican style.
Cinco de mayo is celebrated with festivals and fiestas. Parades usually start moving about 11 o’clock. The parades consist of marchers dressed as French and Mexican generals with soldiers following, armed like the original freedom fighters with machetes and old-fashioned rifles. Paraders wearing skirts and flowery hats represent the women (soldaderos) who traveled with the army to cook and care for the men. Those portraying French soldiers carry knapsacks with wine bottles sticking out of them. At mid-afternoon the “battle” begins in the plaza. Rifles and cannon roar, there is much smoke and shouting, and at nightfall, the Mexican and French generals meet face-to-face for a sword battle. The Mexican general, of course, wins. The fiesta also includes speeches by government officials. And since it is a fiesta there are lots of games and lively dances , mariachi music, traditional foods, bullfights, and colorful cinco de mayo decorations. At night there are pinatas for the children and the celebration ends with beautiful displays of fireworks. People wear clothes of red and green, the colors of the Mexican flag.
This holiday mainly started in the year 1967 when a group of California State University students decided to hold the first Cinco de Mayo commemoration in the United States. They did this because they felt there was no Chicano holiday and therefore thought of starting this tradition. They wanted something to recapture their history and decided that the Battle of Puebla was symbolic. This helped them to connect it to their struggle for the formation of a Chicano Studies program at the university.
In addition to its importance in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is significant to all Americans because it marks the last time that any foreign power has acted the aggressor on North
American soil.
The margarita didn’t even exist in 1862, While tequila, ice, lime, and sugar all existed in 1862, they weren’t brought together in the form of a margarita until about 1930.
While there are no songs specifically for Cinco de Mayo, there are plenty of songs with Cinco de Mayo in the lyrics, including “Isis” by Bob Dylan and “Mexico” by Cake. In fact, the following bands/artists all have songs titled “Cinco de Mayo”: War, Liz Phair, Senses Fail, and Herb Alpert.
Another Badd Creation Productions (Clay County Mobile DJ Service)
http://anotherbaddcreation.com
http://claycountymobiledj.com
http://claycountymobiledj.org
http://gainesvile-mobile-dj.webs.com
http://starke-florida-mobile-dj-service.webs.com/
http://www.myspace.com/djocp
http://anotherbaddcreation.blogspot.com/
http://anotherbaddcreation.wirenode.mob (This page is just for mobile phones)
http://premiereentertainment.ning.com/profile/RickSchramm
http://www.thumbtack.com/Local-Mobilized-DJ-Entertainment-Keystone-Heights-FL/service/44054
http://anotherbaddcreation.wordpress.com
http://claycountymobiledj.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-Badd-Creation-Productions-Mobile-DJ-Service-32656/137722642963793?sk=app_156218351098324
It is often confused with the Mexican Independence Day (el Dieciseis de Septiembre), which occurred on September 16, 1810, about 50 years earlier. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The victory was an important step for Mexico in her fight for independence. Today in Mexico, and in Mexican-American communities, May 5 brings celebrations, fiestas, and parades.
This day marks the victory of a small, poorly armed force of around 4,500 soldiers over the French invasion of a well-armed, professional army led by Napoleon III that had about 8,000 soldiers. This battle is popularly known as the legendary Battle of Puebla. The battle lasted for 4 hours and ended in the victory of the small Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. So Cinco de mayo is hugely celebrated with pomp , gaiety and fiestas in the traditional Mexican style.
Cinco de mayo is celebrated with festivals and fiestas. Parades usually start moving about 11 o’clock. The parades consist of marchers dressed as French and Mexican generals with soldiers following, armed like the original freedom fighters with machetes and old-fashioned rifles. Paraders wearing skirts and flowery hats represent the women (soldaderos) who traveled with the army to cook and care for the men. Those portraying French soldiers carry knapsacks with wine bottles sticking out of them. At mid-afternoon the “battle” begins in the plaza. Rifles and cannon roar, there is much smoke and shouting, and at nightfall, the Mexican and French generals meet face-to-face for a sword battle. The Mexican general, of course, wins. The fiesta also includes speeches by government officials. And since it is a fiesta there are lots of games and lively dances , mariachi music, traditional foods, bullfights, and colorful cinco de mayo decorations. At night there are pinatas for the children and the celebration ends with beautiful displays of fireworks. People wear clothes of red and green, the colors of the Mexican flag.
This holiday mainly started in the year 1967 when a group of California State University students decided to hold the first Cinco de Mayo commemoration in the United States. They did this because they felt there was no Chicano holiday and therefore thought of starting this tradition. They wanted something to recapture their history and decided that the Battle of Puebla was symbolic. This helped them to connect it to their struggle for the formation of a Chicano Studies program at the university.
In addition to its importance in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is significant to all Americans because it marks the last time that any foreign power has acted the aggressor on North
American soil.
The margarita didn’t even exist in 1862, While tequila, ice, lime, and sugar all existed in 1862, they weren’t brought together in the form of a margarita until about 1930.
While there are no songs specifically for Cinco de Mayo, there are plenty of songs with Cinco de Mayo in the lyrics, including “Isis” by Bob Dylan and “Mexico” by Cake. In fact, the following bands/artists all have songs titled “Cinco de Mayo”: War, Liz Phair, Senses Fail, and Herb Alpert.
Another Badd Creation Productions (Clay County Mobile DJ Service)
http://anotherbaddcreation.com
http://claycountymobiledj.com
http://claycountymobiledj.org
http://gainesvile-mobile-dj.webs.com
http://starke-florida-mobile-dj-service.webs.com/
http://www.myspace.com/djocp
http://anotherbaddcreation.blogspot.com/
http://anotherbaddcreation.wirenode.mob (This page is just for mobile phones)
http://premiereentertainment.ning.com/profile/RickSchramm
http://www.thumbtack.com/Local-Mobilized-DJ-Entertainment-Keystone-Heights-FL/service/44054
http://anotherbaddcreation.wordpress.com
http://claycountymobiledj.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-Badd-Creation-Productions-Mobile-DJ-Service-32656/137722642963793?sk=app_156218351098324
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