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Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that pays its respects to the battle of Puebla that is
celebrated both in Mexico as well as the United States. Though the methods of
celebration can vary between the two countries it is a way people of Mexican heritage
can educate and celebrate their culture.
The history of Cinco de Mayo, also known as the Anniversary of the Battle of
Puebla, is a national holiday in Mexico celebrating a victory of Mexico in 1862 against
the French army under command of Napoleon the 3rd. Mexico in 1861 had temporarily
declared to postpone foreign debt payment against the Spanish, French, and English. All
three nations invaded Mexico demanding the debt that Mexico owed them. In April of
1862, both the Spanish and English decided to give up on the fight and went home. The
French decided to stay and continue the fight through support of rich landowners with the
intent of crippling North America's power and establishing and maintaining a monarchy
under the rule of Austria's Maximillian. On May 5th in 1862, outnumbered and
outgunned, the troops from Mexico that consisted of Zapotec and Mestizo fought the
French with General Ignacio Zaragoza, defeating the enemy French troops south east of
Mexico City known as the "Battle of Puebla. The Mexicans killed about 1000 French
troops pushing them back and creating a huge Moral and boost to the Mexican Army and
nation. This battle was not the end of the war however, as it would last another five years
until the French were finally driven out of Mexican territory. The Battle of Puebla was
however the symbol, inspiration, and motivation that encouraged the natives to fight
against foreign policy and rule. It was their triumph over the dominant nations that had
been lingering over the country for so long. In memory of the battle, the city Puebla, was
later renamed Puebla de Zaragoza.

In general, methods to celebrate Cinco de Mayo include: eating food, playing

music, dancing, laying Mexican flags, and, depending on where youre celebrating, the
presence of vendors in booths for services and goods. There are also contests of beauty,
jalapeno-eating and hooting to accompany Mexican mariachi songs.
Music sometimes is performed live by a mariachi band, these bands also perform
music from all regions of Mexico and also are accompanied by dancers. The Ballet
Folklrico consists of four men and four women. The male dancers wear white pants and
guayaberas, a white, long-sleeved shirt with pleats down the front, worn untucked. The
Huapango, which is a dance from the Huasteca region of East Central Mexico and similar
to La Bamba. For this dance, each woman wears a voluminous white dress, a black apron
embroidered with colorful flowers, and white shoes.
After a break, there is a costume change for the troupe and the men wear plaid
shirts, jeans, and cowboy boots and hats, while the women wear ruffled dresses of
different colors and roper boots. Their hair is braided with colorful ribbons for a Nortena,
a dance from a region spanning Northern Mexico and South Texas. There is a great deal
of whistling and hollering by the dancers to praise and encourage each other, as well as
intricate footwork involved, not just to the beat and rhythm of the music. During a certain
part of the song, the singers stop singing while the foot movements create a beat and
rhythm of their own. The stage, which sometimes does not have wooden floors, could be
modified by the addition of a portable floor to ensure the loudness of the foot stomping,
so the audience can cheers grew louder with the stomping.

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Vendors often sell food and canned soft drinks, and a local Mexican food
restaurant has a stand that is selling aguas frescas which means, fresh or cool water.
Traditional drinks are made with fruit and the typical trio of Jamaica, hibiscus blossom
iced tea, and horchata, a drink of rice-flour, milk, cinnamon, and sugar, and tamarindo,
tamarind pulp diluted in water and sweetened. There are plenty of foods. The fare
includes tacos, tostadas, beans and rice, churros, and bunuelos, a deep-fried flour tortilla
covered in cinnamon-sugar.
Although the United States and Mexico both celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the
duration of methods celebrating are somewhat different. Mexico celebrates Cinco de
Mayo as a way to commemorate or remember the battle of Puebla, while in United
States, Cinco de Mayo is more a celebration of Mexican culture. While Mexico
celebrates only on the fifth of May, the United States takes the whole week where the
fifth of May resides to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Mexican traditions. In Mexico, they
celebrate with no school, no parades, no speeches, and battle reenactments while the
United States celebrates similarly with parades, but since they are more focused on
Mexican culture. In general, there are more festivals, music, dancing, and food.
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that celebrates the Mexican victory over the French at
the battle of Puebla. Though the holiday is meant to commemorate a victory, the United
States celebrates Cinco de Mayo as a celebration of all Mexican culture. Though we
similarly have parades and speeches, both countries differ in terms of duration and
methods to celebrate. In the end, this holiday is both a way to remember and educate on
a culture that is very important to the United States and to Mexico.

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Bibliography
"Cinco de Mayo." Encyclopdia Britannica (September 2014): Research Starters,
EBSCOhost (accessed September 30, 2015).
Rossmann, Liliana Castaeda. "Cinco De Mayo: Stories, Rituals, And Transcendence In
Celebration." Text 25.5 (2005): 665-689. Academic Search Premier. Web.
"Throw a Mexican-Themed Party for Cinco de Mayo!." All You 11, no. 5 (May 23, 2014):
59. MasterFILE Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed September 30, 2015).