How Cinco de Mayo Became a Completely Different Holiday

 Heyo! May the fourth be with you. I almost wrote about Star Wars for today, but I had already started researching Cinco de Mayo for a post last year but never finished it. So, since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, here is the post intended for last year. Full disclosure: I am Puerto Rican not Mexican, however as an American, Cinco de Mayo has always been celebrated in the US for as long as I can remember and even longer as you'll learn in this post.

Batalla del 5 de mayo de 1862, 1870

Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken for Mexican Independence Day which is actually September 16. The two holidays are not releated.

To understand what Cinco de Mayo is and why it's still celebrated today, we have to go all the way back to May 5, 1862. On that date, the Battle of Puebla took place led by General Ignazio Zargoza against the second French Empire which occupied Mexico City at the time. It is not just any simple wartime victory. There were only four thousand Mexican soldiers against eight thousand French soldiers. That French had not been beaten for almost half a century at that point. The fact that the Mexican army was able to beat an army twice its size adds to the significance of the victory. Historian Justo Sierra believes that had Mexico lost the battle France may have gone on to aid the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War, which would have drastically changed the course of history.

On May 9, 1892, only a few days after the battle, Mexican President Benito Juarez declared that the anniversary of the battle would be a national holiday regarded as "Battle of Puebla Day" or "Battle of Cinco de Mayo". The national celebrations peaked during the Porfiriato - the long rule (1876-1911) of dictator President Porfirio Diaz who had fought in the Battle of Pueblo as an officer. According to historian Kelly Lytle Hernandez, Diaz "Strategically turned the Cinco de Mayo Festival or celebration into a celebration of his own power and reign and made it something that was celebrated across Mexico and even in diasporic Mexican communities in the United States". After President Diaz was deposed, Cinco de Mayo celebrations declined due to its association with him.

Dancers celebrating Cinco de Mayo

In modern times, Cinco de Mayo is not observed nationally in Mexico, but public schools do close that day. It is only an official holiday in the state of Puebla, where the battle took place, and neighboring state of Veracruz. In Puebla celebrations include a parade where participants are dressed as Mexican and French soldiers to reenact the battle. In Mexico City, Camp Marte commemorates the battle. A street in the historic center of Mexico is named Avienda Cinco de Mayo after the battle.

When did Cinco de Mayo become a country wide celebration in the United States? In the 1860s, states such as California, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas began a day of remembrance in the context of the Latino experience of Mexican Independence Day, Mexican Declaration of Independence, and an Americal Civil War on the Far West of Mexico. A Mexican publication in San Francisco, California, La Voz de Mejico, published detailed accounts of the battle and on June 7, 1962, reported that in the town of Columbia, California celebrations of Cinco de Mayo took place.

Time magazine reported that "Cinco de Mayo started to come into vogue in 1940s America during the rise of the Chicano movement. The holiday crossed over to the rest of the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, but didn't gain the popularity it has now until marketers capitalized on the celebratory nature of the day and began to promote it. Beer companies were the biggest contenders for Cinco de Mayo. However, it began moving away from celebrating the victory at the Battle of Pueblo and instead became a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. A 1998 study revealed that there were more than 120 official US celebrations of Cinco de Mayo in 21 different states, but a 2006 study updated that the number of events surpassed 150. Around the United States some school districts hold special events to educate students about it's historical significance. According to Nielsen Holding plc, in 2013 more than $600 million worth of beer was purchased in the United States for Cinco de Mayo which had surpassed the Super Bowl and St. Patrick's Day.

Musicians celebrating Cinco de Mayo

The United States is not the only country outside of Mexico that celebrates Cinco de Mayo. Countries and territories around the world including Canada, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, France, and Japan also celebrate Cinco de Mayo in their own ways. In Vancouver, Canada a sky-diving club holds a yearly Cinco de Mayo event. In Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, Japan Cinco de Mayo is a way to celebrate Latin American culture.