I am a Mexican-American who is ashamed to admit he knows little about Hispanic holidays. What does Cinco de Mayo actually celebrate?
Cinco de Mayo is not a federal holiday and ironically, is rarely celebrated by Mexicans. This is not El Grito de Dolores (Mexican Independence Day.) The day commemorates the victory of the Mexican forces over the French at the Battle of Puebla. This was only one of several battles that occurred between Mexico and France.
In a nutshell, the wars of independence economically devastated the newly formed and fragile state of Mexico and they could not repay their international debt. As a result, French forces attempted to invade. Eventually, the French did successfully invade and appoint Maximilian as emperor of Mexico.
In the U.S., Cinco de Mayo is used to market Mexican food products and tequila. In Mexico, businesses located in high tourist traffic areas, also capitalize on the day, because it is what tourists expect. Most Mexicans reserve celebrations for May 1 (equivalent to U.S. Labor Day) and May 10 (Mother’s Day.) In fact, Mexicans do not understand why people in the U.S. tend to fuss over a little battle.
Cinco de Mayo is one of the dozens of Mexican holidays that unifies and legitimates the Hispanic tradition year after year. In the Cinco de Mayo tradition, Hispanics celebrate the Cinco de Mayo festival of the “Batalla de Puebla” or Battle of Puebla under the rule of General Ignacio Zaragoza on May 5, 1862. The town of Puebla was a small village that, despite all odds, overcame the French soldiers trying to occupy Mexico City in order to sway Mexican politics, culture and economy.
