Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo and why?

ScreamingEagle

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Cinco de Mayo, From Mexican Fiesta to Popular U.S. Holiday
Stefan Lovgren
for National Geographic News
May 5, 2006

Today fiesta lovers across the United States will gather to celebrate the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo—literally "May 5" in Spanish.

But do U.S. partygoers really know what they are celebrating?

Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, which is actually September 16. On that date in 1810, Mexico declared its independence from Spanish rule.

Today's holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

The anniversary of the victory is celebrated only sporadically in Mexico, mainly in the southern town of Puebla (see map of Puebla) and a few larger cities.

But Cinco de Mayo is fast gaining popularity in the U.S., where changing demographics are turning the holiday into a cultural event.

Latinos are the largest minority in the U.S. today with more than 40 million people.

A 1998 study in the Journal of American Culture found that the number of official U.S. celebrations of the holiday topped 120.

Today the number is 150 or more, according to José Alamillo, professor of ethnic studies at Washington State University in Pullman, who has studied the cultural impact of the holiday north of the border.

Cinco de Mayo is now celebrated in towns across the U.S. that are predominately non-Hispanic, he notes.

"It's definitely becoming more popular than St. Patrick's Day," he said.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/0505_060505_cinco_de_mayo.html
 
dmp said:
I'd say MOST holidays are spread by Businesses looking for an excuse to talk people into spending money.

Other than a mexican restaurant...what businesses? (Other than those in latino areas) I haven't yet seen Hallmark cards on the day, but maybe they sell them somewhere.

This article says there are 150 official Cinco de Mayo celebrations and that it is celebrated mostly in towns that are not Hispanic. Exactly who's behind this? Is Cinco de Mayo really more popular than St. Patrick's Day among the non-Hispanic?
 
ScreamingEagle said:
Other than a mexican restaurant...what businesses? (Other than those in latino areas) I haven't yet seen Hallmark cards on the day, but maybe they sell them somewhere.

This article says there are 150 official Cinco de Mayo celebrations and that it is celebrated mostly in towns that are not Hispanic. Exactly who's behind this? Is Cinco de Mayo really more popular than St. Patrick's Day among the non-Hispanic?


Any place which sells alcohol. :)
 
The answer here is "hell no"... why the hell should I care about a holiday that commemorates mexico's victory over France at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862?

I mean.. really .. how bad does France have to suck to lose a battle to Mexico? :p
 
Abbey Normal said:
This sounds something like Kwanzaa. We dont have a "cultural" holiday in the U.S.A., so let's either make one up, or start celebrating one that means nothing to the people of this country. :rolleyes:

Exactly! I submit that that article is part of the left wing propaganda machine pushing their multiculturalism agenda.
 
I don't really celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I celebrate 25 cent Dos Equis. Dos Equis Amber with a wedge of lime and free chips and salsa. That's what I celebrate.
 
onthefence said:
I don't really celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I celebrate 25 cent Dos Equis. Dos Equis Amber with a wedge of lime and free chips and salsa. That's what I celebrate.

So all they have to do to add a Mexican fiesta to our culture is appeal to the party-goer types?
:banana: ole!

lol, doubt the muslims will ever get a holiday celebration...
 
Today it meant more to me than ever. I'm wearing my American flag shirt and grilling American beef to eat in the farthest piece of American civilitation from Mexico, that's how I celebrated it.
 
In all honesty, I do not celebrate, but encourage at least one of the middle school grades to do so, as the food rocks! Our Spanish teacher makes a guacomole to kill for! Really.

In each grade the minimum number of bonafide Hispanics is 8, and when called upon to make food, regardless of politics, well let's just say-Get out! I want it all! :laugh:
 
Whenver I eat Mexican, I am struck by how many of the dishes have virtually the same ingredients, with slight variations in the type of wrapping or base. Not much "diversity" in the food, lol.

I still like it, though. :mm:
 
Abbey Normal said:
Whenver I eat Mexican, I am struck by how many of the dishes have virtually the same ingredients, with slight variations in the type of wrapping or base. Not much "diversity" in the food, lol.

I still like it, though. :mm:

I've noticed that too. I'm not a huge fan of mexican, so whenever we go to mexican restaraunts I just get cheese nachos. Now THOSE are hard to mess up and always satisfy....not as much as a cheeseburger, but pretty close.
 
Why would I want to CELEBRATE ANYTHING fuckin' mexican?

The bastards are ILLEGALY invading my country by the MILLIONS, DEMANDING we break our OWN LAWS and let them STAY! Oh yeah, I'm REALLY IN THE MOOD to go HUG A WETBACK and slam a couple CORONA'S with him. *(Total sarcasm)*

So the answer is FUCK NO!
 
Pale Rider said:
Why would I want to CELEBRATE ANYTHING fuckin' mexican?

The bastards are ILLEGALY invading my country by the MILLIONS, DEMANDING we break our OWN LAWS and let them STAY! Oh yeah, I'm REALLY IN THE MOOD to go HUG A WETBACK and slam a couple CORONA'S with him. *(Total sarcasm)*

So the answer is FUCK NO!

Come up for air, buddy!

I agree, though. :thup: :rock: :usa:
 

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