Cinco de Mayo: The Mexican festival that celebrates a war victory
Cinco de Mayo is a popular festival celebrated across Mexico and the USA every year. The Americans may think of it as the Mexican Independence Day or a holiday where people blow off some summer-time steam. However, it has a great significance in its country of origin, Mexico. Let us take you through the origin and evolution of Cinco de Mayo and how it emerged into the festival we know today.
The origin
This Mexican festival is celebrated every year on 5th May. People in Mexico and Mexican immigrants in the USA consider the festival of Cinco de Mayo as the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla and regard it as Battle of Puebla Day. So, it is observed as a historical event with re-creations of the battle and military parades!
More than 150 years ago on 5th May, 1862, a battle was fought in Mexico—Battle of Puebla. This historical battle has been etched in Mexican heritage for it resulted in an unexpected victory for the Mexican forces against their French opponents. During this battle, a small group of people led by Ignacio Zaragoza, a Mexican general and politician, defeated a larger group of French soldiers. This helped the Mexican people to get their much-needed victory and lost hope.
History of wars in Mexico
Before the Battle of Puebla, Mexico had gone through three significant wars, all throughout 19th century, that put their economy in debt. In 1821, Mexicans fought for their independence from Spain, while between 1846 and 1848, they fought against America. By 1857, civil war had broken out in Mexico. When Mexico failed to pay back its loans, France, Britain and Spain united to attack Mexico and demand repayment. While Britain and Spain took the situation lightly, the then French monarch Napoleon III had other plans. He secretly sent 6000 French troops and attacked Mexico overnight without any warning. His aim was simple, to colonise parts of Mexico. However, only 2000 local Mexicans in the town of Puebla were able to successfully restrict the French army on 5th May 1862. As a result, the entire nation of Mexico started regarding 5th May as an auspicious day in their nation’s history.
Later, humiliated by his defeat, Napoleon III sent back more forces and even sent a duke named Arch Maximillian to rule Mexico. During this time, 'Cinco de Mayo became the war cry for all of Mexico. In 1867, the duke was overthrown and Mexico finally gained freedom from France. Since then, every year, Mexicans have observed 5th of May with song, dance, food and merriment to celebrate their independence, rich culture and heritage.
A Party for the Americans
If you are in the US on May 5th, you can witness a different way of celebrating Cinco de Mayo. In America, this festival was largely unknown until the 1960s. However, slowly the Mexican-Americans started spreading awareness about the holiday. Also, in the early and mid-1900s, this festival was centred around celebrating Mexican heritage and was primarily community-based. However, later it became more commercialized. The US population use this as an opportunity to feast on Mexican-inspired foods and listen to Mexican music! You will see the largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations in southwestern cities of the US, such as Los Angeles.