According to Wikipedia, Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, Spanish for "Fifth of May" is a yearly celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
It was surprising to me, to learn that Cinco de Mayo is more popular in the United States than in Mexico. I wonder why that is?
Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, the most important national holiday in Mexico, which is celebrated on September 16.
Let me share another Wikipedia history tidbit:
- a historian by the name of Justo Sierra suggested in his book Political Evolution of the Mexican People, that had Mexico not defeated the French in Puebla on May 5, 1862, France would have gone to the aid of the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War and the United States' destiny could have been different. -
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo today, I plan to visit a Mexican Restaurant in the city an order Pork Tamales with Black Beans and Spanish Rice. Yummy!!!