Cinco de Mayo which translates from Spanish to the “Fifth of May”. Which is a celebration observed to commemorate the Mexican Armies unlikely victory over the French Army. This occurred at the Battle of Puebla.

With this date as with many others throughout history there are celebrations. Primarily in Mexico it is celebrated with a number of ceremonies. Most notably are military parades and celebrations in the town plaza’s (town square).

In the United States it is often confused with Mexico’s independence, which actually occurs in September. This day has also taken on a different meaning in the US, it is often a celebration of Mexican-American culture. For starters the celebrations are much more varied.

As with many other cultural days, events, and culture in general. All of which the US has bastardized to fit our stands of celebration.

It all stems from the innate rationalization that it is not a party or celebration without alcohol and Americanized foods from the culture. That is why a lot of bars and restaurants have Mexican style foods and drink specials. It all turns into a day for the college age, young adults, and those in their 20’s to over indulge in libations, getting them intoxicated and making mistakes.

Of course there is no real standard for celebration of this day or any other day. There are areas in the country where the celebration is more standardized. Most of these areas are ones with a large Mexican-American population.

What are your thoughts about Cinco de Mayo? Do you think that there should be some type of standardization for the celebration?

I hope you all enjoyed this little historical commentary about Cinco de Mayo. If you enjoyed or found this interesting please give it a like to let me know. Also if you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions for future entries please feel free to leave it in the comments below/

Check back next Friday at 1500 or 3 PM for the new original short story “The Storm”.