Cinco de Mayo, which translates simply to May fifth, is a holiday commonly associated with Mexican traditions and origins. However, Cinco de Mayo is mainly celebrated in the United States, making it an American holiday. There are over 500 cities in the United States that have annual Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the largest in Los Angeles attracting as many as 500,000 Latinos.
Described in The Washington Post article, the holiday is “created by and for Latino communities in the United States…the celebration of Cinco de Mayo is more about U.S. Latino history and culture than Mexican history.” Although it is historically celebrated for Mexico’s unexpected victory against France in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, there is more to this holiday that makes it worth celebrating.
The victory at Puebla was symbolic for Mexicans as it represented their commitment to republicanism and fostered patriotism. For California though, the victory at Puebla meant much more. This victory signified that if oppressed Mexico could defeat France’s imperial army, there was hope for the Union in fighting against the Confederacy and slavery in the South.
Today, the holiday is commonly celebrated in the United States for its Mexican American history, culture and traditions. As detailed in The New York Times article, “events are dedicated to the celebrations of dance, literature and food from Puebla.”
Cinco de Mayo is often confused for Mexico’s Independence Day in the United States, but Mexican Independence Day is actually celebrated Sept. 16, where the Mexican War of Independence and His Cry of Dolores are commemorated.
“Many people in the U.S. think that it is the independence day for Mexico and that’s not correct, it’s just a battle that Mexico won,” explained Señora Lelo, a Spanish teacher at Briar Woods. “It’s about celebrating a victory that the Mexican army had against the army of France, who, at the time, was the most powerful army in the world so Mexico winning that battle meant a lot.”
The United States and Mexico are only a couple of countries that celebrate this day. Other countries that celebrate Cinco de Mayo include England, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, which goes to show that anyone can celebrate this holiday. In bigger cities like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, there are street festivals for Cinco de Mayo. One of the most well known ones is Fiesta Broadway in Los Angeles.
Señora Lelo concludes by mentioning the importance of knowing about Cinco de Mayo, saying, “it’s about getting together and spending time with people from your same culture. Lots of people in the U.S. celebrate it so it has grown bigger and bigger and it raises awareness of the importance of Hispanic people in the U.S.”
