Wednesday marks the th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo. While it's a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the U. But what exactly does Cinco de Mayo celebrate? Brush up on its rich history with these five facts. The first American Cinco de Mayo celebrations date back to the s, when Mexicans living in California commemorated the victory over France in Puebla. At that time, the United States was embroiled in a Civil War.
The tradition of celebrating Cinco de Mayo has continued in Los Angeles without interruption since , according to Hayes-Bautiste, although the original reason and the history have gotten lost. Puebla de Los Angeles was renamed for General Zaragoza, who died of typhoid fever months after his historic triumph there. Traditions include military parades, recreations of the Battle of Puebla and other festive events. For many Mexicans, however, May 5 is a day like any other: It is not a federal holiday, so offices, banks and stores remain open.
In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is widely interpreted as a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with substantial Mexican-American populations.
Today, revelers mark the occasion with parades, parties, mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing and traditional foods such as tacos and mole poblano. Some of the largest festivals are held in Los Angeles , Chicago and Houston. Many people outside Mexico mistakenly believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!
Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Mexico had just gotten over a civil war in The so-called War of the Reform broke out in soon after liberals drafted a new constitution aimed at reducing the power and influence of the Catholic Church. During the armed conflict, Mexico had two governments: a There can be confusion over the origins of Cinco de Mayo.
Cinco de Mayo A country rich in history, tradition and culture, Mexico is made up of 31 states and one federal district. Cinco de Mayo is not a federal holiday in the United States. Organizations, businesses and schools are open as usual. Public transit systems run on their usual schedule. In some areas of some cities, especially those in the Southwest, local parades and street events may cause some local congestion to traffic. Cinco de Mayo officially commemorates the anniversary of an early victory by Mexican forces over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, It is not the anniversary of the defeat and expulsion of the French forces by the Mexicans, which occurred in It is also not, as is often assumed, the day of Mexico's celebrations of independence, which are actually held on September It is believed that the origins of Cinco de Mayo celebrations lie in the responses of Mexicans living in California in the s to French rule in Mexico at that time.
While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary.
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