Cinco de Mayo Is Not Mexico’s Independence Day Margaret Minnicks - BlastingNews
go to original May 4, 2017

3 Cinco De Mayo Misconceptions Debunked (MTV)

Many people celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the United States without knowing much about what they are celebrating. Cinco De Mayo is more than eating Mexican Foods such as tacos, drinking margaritas, dancing and having fun. It is good to celebrate the holiday, but it is even better to know why the day is celebrated.

Many believe Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of Mexico's Independence Day.

However, that is incorrect. Rather than being a day of independence, it is the celebration of the day the Mexican army was victorious over France on May 5, 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. Winning that battle was quite significant because the Mexicans were outnumbered and not prepared to fight the French, according to historical documents. Only 100 Mexicans were killed during the battle, but 500 French soldiers lost their lives.

Even though it was a great victory for the Mexicans that year, they lost the battle the following year to the French who took control of the area for the next five years. Independence Day in Mexico is celebrated on September 16 and not on May 5.

One would think Cinco de Mayo would be more popular in Mexico, but that's not the case. Many Mexicans treat it as just another day without celebrating at all. The day is celebrated more in the United States and in other places than in Mexico. Of course, it stands to reason that it is celebrated in Puebla where Mexico won the battle in 1862.

In Puebla, Mexicans gather and perform a reenactment of their victory. There is a parade and lots of singing, dancing, and having lots of Mexican food and drinks. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped to add to the popularity of the holiday because in 1933 he released the Good Neighbor Policy. As of a couple of years ago, there were 56.6 million people of Mexican descent in the United States. That is about 17.6 percent of the country's total population.

Read the rest at BlastingNews

Related: Why Is Cinco de Mayo More Popular in the U.S. Than Mexico? (KFox)

Related: Pence’s Cinco de Mayo Remarks Draw the Ridicule They Deserve (Vocativ)

Related: Why Cinco de Mayo Celebrations Are Not the Same in the Trump Era (Elite Daily)

Related: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with 5 Underrated Mexican Horror Films (Bloody Disgusting)

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