Holiday A Day

Cinco de Mayo - The fifth of May is celebrated in the United States but not for the reason most Americans think. This is a Mexican holiday mostly in the state of Puebla, when on May 5th, 1862 the Mexican Army defeated the French Army in a battle that looked to be in favor of the French, this is not Mexican Independence Day which is in September. The battle had little real impact in the conflict between France and Mexico other than boosting the moral of the Mexican soldiers. Today it is seen as an event that Mexico can take pride in, when their much smaller force were able to defeat the much larger, better trained French force but it is not a national holiday. The observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States goes back to 1860 when the Mexican gold miners in California heard the news of the battle and celebrated. The day continued to be celebrated in California continually since 1863 as a day of pride for those of Mexican ancestry. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the celebration began to go to other parts of the U