Cinco de Mayo is celebrated as a way to mark an important Mexican victory in battle and the significance that had for its relations with America. It is also an annual opportunity to show some love for Mexican heritages and traditions.
FAQs
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated as a way to mark an important Mexican victory in battle and the significance that had for its relations with America. It is also an annual opportunity to show some love for Mexican heritages and traditions.
There are lots of different ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo – from parades and public parties to private fiestas and dinner dates. The only rule is to have fun and to enjoy traditional Mexican dishes, dances, songs, dress – and anything else you can think of.
The celebrations started the very same year of the battle, with Mexican miners in California partying on May 27 and the president of Mexico declaring a holiday, but the first formal celebrations began in 1863. They quickly began to spread from city to city, and even country to country.
Cinco de Mayo is not a national holiday in either the US or Mexico. This means that lots of shops, banks and businesses carry on as normal. However, it is a widely known and celebrated date - so parades and parties are to be expected.
The Battle of Puebla that Cinco de Mayo celebrates was very significant for the US – it helped Mexico and America on their road towards an alliance, which is partly responsible for the United States we know today!