I’ll admit, I’ve celebrated plenty of Cinco de Mayos just for the sake of celebrating. I’ve dressed in red, white, and green, sipped a few margaritas, ate burritos, and dipped chips in salsa, all in the name of a good time, without realizing what it was I was celebrating. This year, however, before I make my cranberry salsa for the office Cinco de Mayo celebration, I decided it was about time to find out the true meaning of the holiday. I remember briefly learning about the holiday in second grade social studies class and I always had it in my head that Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day.
FALSE! I looked up Cinco de Mayo on Wikipedia and the first sentence slashed my childhood notions of what the holiday was. The first sentence under the heading “Cinco de Mayo” reads as follows:
“Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which occurs on September 16th.”
Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day?! I was as shocked as I was when I learned that Pilgrims did not, in fact, wear buckled hats! If Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, then what is it?
“Cinco de Mayo…is a holiday celebrated in the United States and primarily limited to the state of Puebla in Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.” – Wikipedia
Cinco de Mayo is not even a federal holiday in Mexico! It’s basically just an opportunity for Americans to celebrate their Mexican-American ancestry, similar to the way we love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the Chinese New Year, Oktoberfest, and the Super Bowl. Now, I fully support celebrating culture and heritage, but let’s call a spade a spade. We Americans love to party and we will look for any reason or excuse to throw a party or take off work to go to the bar. It’s time Americans were more up front and honest about their partying habits. You don’t need to justify celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, for example, by trying to prove to me that you are 1/16th Irish. Just go to the bar and have a good time on a Tuesday afternoon!
I think we should be more accommodating of our festive inclinations. Say, if your city wins the Super Bowl, NBA Championship, World Series, or what have you, nobody should have to work the next day. Same with the Oscars; work should be optional the next day. Now that I’ve learned that Cinco de Mayo is basically an American holiday, I feel it’s my duty to celebrate! Pass the chips, please.
Ramblings 
I fully support the celebration of all holidays ever from all countries.
As you should! I, too, love to celebrate any and all holidays!
AHA! But, just think. Now you can celebrate TWICE! To me, that’s a win-win.
Marking Sept 16th down on my calendar.
Haha, you make a great point! Another holiday to celebrate!
Hey, I love the idea of taking the day after the Oscar’s off… but they hardly run past the scheduled time any more, so it may be hard to justify. But who am I to quibble? I don’t even work!
You’re right, nowadays it seems like they do a better job of staying within the schedule timeframe.
When I lived in Boston the second time the Sox won the World Series, my co-workers often griped that they were so exhausted from staying up so late to watch all of the games. It would’ve been nice to have a break from work. If not to sleep, then to catch the parade!
This someecard I just received really fits the whole theme of this blog post! http://www.someecards.com/view-card/ba8399495559e76efb8d3adde6895d93?key=967d9a5e25b3813ed565d668ea57bb24
Actually, I think St. Patrick’s Day is a bigger deal in Mexico than Cinco de Mayo. All the Irish pubs here usually have some sort of party or live music. But agreed on no work the day after a big sporting event. 🙂 I’m very interested to see how productive this country is after the World Cup starts in June!
I would also agree that St. Paddy’s day is a bigger deal than Cinco de Mayo. Although I wish there was more hype around Cinco de Mayo! It would be cool to see a parade.
You’re right about the World Cup! Maybe the whole country should just go on vacation during that time!!
Hey, pass me some of that cranberry salsa Sonja!