The Cinco de Mayo celebration happens on the day when Mexico won in the Battle of Puebla.Citizens started celebrating Cinco de Mayo in 1863. Cinco de Mayo activities spread throughout the nation after advertising campaigns of beer, tequila, and wine. It has now become a global celebration, which further promotes the heritage.Some may confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexico’s Independence Day but these are actually two different events. With his navy, Napoleon III attacked Veracruz in 1861; this led to the retreat of President Juarez. On the way from Veracruz to Mexico, they had to face real hardships and had been defeated by the Mexican army in 1862. This win was not sustained for long and again in 1863, Napoleon III defeated them and assigned Emperor Maximilian as the ruler. This win did not last for more than three years. In 1865, the American Civil War was over, and then with the help of Americans, Mexicans regained their dominance over their realm and executed Maximilian.On 5 May 1862, a French army of 6000 soldiers tried to overpower the Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza in Mexico City, and on the same day, a volatile Mexican army of 2000 people showed their spontaneity and made them retreat. In present times in the USA, this battle day is honored through celebration and is considered a holiday.People arrange parades, decorate with colorful dress-ups, set taco bars, eat traditional food, and dance to mariachi music to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage. In some places, this day is considered as Cinco de Drinko and it has lots of similarities with a stereotypical Irish St. Patrick’s Day.There are some terms in the Spanish language to commemorate this event. For example, Baile Folklorico which is a folk dance with traditional significance, castanets which are an instrument made out of wood, ’la Guerra’ is a term for war, ’la Bandera’ which is the Mexican flag also known as ’la Bandera Mexicana’, and ‘mil ochocientos sesenta y dos’ which is the term for the Puebla War.In addition, ‘El dia de la bantalla de Puebla’ refers to 5 May 1862, the day of the war itself, ‘Charro’ is a traditional dress for a Mexican cowboy complete with tight trousers, short jacket, disarranged shirt, and sombrero hat. Mariachi which is a band, performs Mexico’s stories over the year by using instruments like a guitar, vihuela, trumpet, and violin.According to UCLA, the USA commemorates the holiday but in Mexico, this is not always the case. In small towns, Puebla people tend to celebrate it with a reenactment of significant events. They try to replicate a wartime scenario through carnivals, fairs, dressing up, cooking food, or carrying a machete and gun-rifle. This is complemented with music, piñata, fireworks, tequila, Agua Fresca, a jalapeño competition, and more.This Mexican-American tradition has gained popularity in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, New York, Cleveland, Boston, Indianapolis, Raleigh, Dallas Texas, San Antonio, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Tucson, San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose.Despite all this fun, some people find the celebration of events in America obnoxious and offensive. They think Americans do not understand the meaning of this event yet and just use it as an excuse to have fun and to indulge in drinks on that day. Jose M. Alamillo indicates how beer companies earn $38 million just for advertising and commercialization.If you enjoyed this article, why not find out more about the 1985 earthquake in Mexico and Christmas in Mexico here on Kidadl.The History of Cinco De MayoCinco de Mayo represents the Franco-Mexican war, and people often get it confused with Mexico’s Independence Day.In 1861, the Zaptech tribe got elected, then the country went bankrupt, and the government was incorporated into a debt loophole; they were indebted to the European system. Then the French troops, governed by Napoleon III, tried to exploit the Mexican realm.6000 French soldiers were sent to Puebla de Zaragoza under General Charles Latrille de Lorencez and they got defeated in same day by 2000 Mexicans under Juarez and General Ignacio Zaragoza. This war continued into the evening, ending in the death of 500 French and 100 Mexican soldiers.Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian was chosen as the emperor by Napoleon during the war, however, he was executed later by the Mexicans. This battle gave a morale boost to Mexicans and made 5 May a national holiday.The History Of Mexican ActivitiesDue to the 1846 American-Mexican War and another war, Mexico’s government got involved in a political and financial debacle, after losing the Civil War in Mexico, lost stability.Then the government borrowed money from countries like England, Spain, and France. In 1862, all three of these realms were seeking repayment of debt but the Mexican government was financially incompetent and asked for more time.Although England and Spain agreed, Napoleon III tried to get involved in the war but got defeated by the Mexican army in La Batalla de Puebla. The invasion of Mexico was not easy. The war was being fought under General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, but a year later, France was able to defeat Mexico. In hindsight, this war was not significant from a military perspective. The army under Benito Juarez made people believe in how important determination and bravery can be.Cinco De Mayo Art ActivitiesTeaching our kids about different cultures and the history of other places is important. There are many Cinco de Mayo crafts that kids make for fun, and these help in understanding Mexican culture. Some of these craft ideas include Mexican pottery, painting, and decorating a furnace.Kids can also make rhinestone skulls, egg maracas with eggs and plastic spoons, floral headbands, piñata napkin rings, paper-cut maracas, and sombrero hats.Additionally, kids can also make sugar skull sachets, a stone cactus, a piñata party wreath, muneca quitapenas (commonly known as worry dolls), a Mexican pinch pot, a paper plate tambourine, tin folk art, a nicho box, sombrero headbands, a bird rattle, clay vessels, a Mexican mask, paper fans, a chili pepper party pom, and fiesta flower bouquets. These also help to celebrate Mexican culture.Ojo de Dios, tissue paper tassels, pinwheel toppers, a Cinco de Mayo mini piñata, castanets, a paper bag poncho, Cinco de Mayo topiary, a faux Mexi-embroidered shirt, a taco piñata, a party umbrella wreath, a piñata sun catcher, a Cinco de Mayo lighted Cater piece, a miniature paper Mexican flag and many more things can be made which are an attractive part of this celebration. The kids will enjoy making these items!Celebrating Cinco De Mayo At HomeIn recent years, even with the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, you can commemorate Cinco de Mayo, the public event, at your own home with new ideas, decorations and music, and have fun.We can surround ourselves with Mexican food, decorations, and music, and even throw some virtual invitations. There is various Mexican food you can make. You could set up a home taco bar, and include such things as tacos, burritos, chips, and guacamole.Although you could also go with more ornate dishes like Mexican street corn, shrimp ceviche, cilantro rice, barbacoa, tamales, carnitas, quesadillas, shrimp taco salad, sour cream, fish tacos with lime crema, pico de gallo chunky salsa, hot sauce, or chicken enchiladas for your own house party.A celebration for Cinco de Mayo cannot be complete without drinks, so you can arrange some classic margaritas and horchatas. Wrap up celebrations with desserts like cheese flan, churros, and chocolate tres leches cake.To decorate your home, you can add fill each room with Cinco de Mayo crafts such as alebrijes, bark paintings, cactus collage, beaded maracas, Cinco de Mayo door hangers which you can hang in your living room, chili pepper garlands, and clothespin dancing dolls. You are ready to celebrate the Mexican culture!Cinco De Mayo In MexicoCinco de Mayo is celebrated mainly in Puebla with musicians, soldiers, dancers, sailors, key performers from indigenous communities, and charros. It is a celebrated event in the small town of Puebla and not all over the rest of Mexico.Parades are arranged to showcase various military schools where troops march with their uniform on. They try to conclude Puebla’s historical reenactment by taking spectators through magical towns, baroque architecture, the Popocatepetl volcano, and many more places. Fairs are arranged by the town for a month, which are concluded with artistic performances. The fairs have craft exhibitions, traditional food stalls like a mole, sweet potato, and borrachito, and there are various other things to do as well.Loreto and Guadalupe, built as a Catholic temple, later became military fortresses. In the present, the structures are open to having tourists and locals visit to understand the history of the place. Loreto includes old battle weapons and Guadalupe includes multimedia setups to comprehend the battle scenario explicitly.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Cinco de Mayo activities, then why not take a look at the tallest mountain in Mexico or fun facts about Mexico.The second image is by S. Pakhrin.
The Cinco de Mayo celebration happens on the day when Mexico won in the Battle of Puebla.
