Cinco+de+Mayo

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= = =Cinco de Mayo= In Mexico, several holidays are celebrated in remembrance of specific events in their history. However, this certain holiday, achieved by Mexicans, is mostly celebrated in the United States. Mexicans rarely observe Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) as an actual holiday to put on the calendar although it celebrates Mexican heritage and pride. In 1861, a French fleet stormed Veracruz forcing President Juárez and his government to retreat. The French then moved on to Mexico City. However, they experienced extreme resistance from the Mexicans near Puebla. The Mexican army of 4,000 attempted to go against the French army of 8,000, the strongest army in the world. That’s crazy, right? But on May 5, 1862, their persistence and courage crushed the French army giving the citizens of Puebla something to rejoice in. The History Channel says, “Although not a major strategic victory in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza's success at Puebla represented a great moral victory for the Mexican government." TIME magazine puts it this way: “The Puebla victory came to symbolize unity and pride for what seemed like a Mexican David defeating a French Goliath. It was a glorious moment for Mexico." As stated earlier, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated mostly in the United States. However, a lot of Americans think Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day, the most important Mexican holiday. It’s not! Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory over the strong French army. Most of us tend to forget the importance of the unlikely victory that the Mexicans accomplished in 1862. Mexicans from Puebla also observe this holiday. Brightly colored clothing, folkloric dancing, festive foods, and ethnic music play a role in the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. People parade through the streets dancing and rejoicing because of the victory. Popular party foods are tacos and mole. Mariachi bands also play a role in the festivities. Cinco de Mayo celebrates an important day in Mexican history that everyone should respect despite his or her ethnic culture.