Cinco de Mayo strikes me as a funny holiday. People across America seem to get really into the festivities of drinking margaritas, taking shots of tequila, and eating tacos. Now I must ask you, do you know the significance of Cinco de Mayo? Why, it commemorates the independence of Mexico, of course! WRONG. It's a celebration of an unlikely win by the Mexican army over the French in a battle in 1862. Want to know something even funnier? According to some sources it's not even that big of a deal in Mexico. So why do we continue to celebrate it here in the States? I'll hazard a guess at a few factors at play: many Mexican immigrants present in the US enjoy celebrating their culture, Mexico is our neighbor and we are enamored with Mexican food and drinks, and some folks will grab a hold of any excuse to drink booze and party. Hey, no judgment, just sayin'...
I was reminded of how little relevance Cinco de Mayo holds for the rest of Latin America when I asked my husband what he wanted to do for the occasion. He looked at me with a blank expression and asked, "What's that?" Not having ever researched the actual holiday, I fed him the misinformation that it was Mexican Independence Day (the actual reason behind the festivities actually pales in comparison). In response, my husband shrugged, reminded me that he's Ecuadorian, and inquired why he would celebrate a Mexican holiday. I explained the idea of being neighborly and having an excuse to go out, spend money and/or party. He didn't seem phased by my explanation, we didn't do anything out of the ordinary today, and I'm quite alright with that. Next time I go to Chipotle, I'll hold up my burrito in a belated toast to Cinco de Mayo.
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