Happy Cinco de Mayo, AKA Remember Mexico Day!
What's the significance of May 5 and the story behind this holiday? Well, it's not Mexican Independence day. Fifty years after that event, in 1862, Mexico was struggling financially and decided that it needed a two year break from paying off its debts to several countries. France decided this was unacceptable and invaded them. The Mexican army unexpectedly won a battle against the French on May 5, and Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of that victory. Unfortunately the French won the subsequent battles and installed a government shortly after. It only lasted a few years until American pressure forced the French to leave Mexico.
Cinco de Mayo isn't really a big deal in Mexico - it's really only celebrated in one small area. It's big in the States, however, as a Mexican equivalent of St. Patrick's Day: a celebration of Mexican heritage. Some people complain that it has been too commercialized and simply serves as an excuse to drink.
Today Justin and I ate tacos and made a candle holder out of a green pepper (a "jack-o-pepper") to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I like celebrating random little holidays, and I like having someone around to share that with.
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last year i was at charbonneau house for cinco, so i bought coloured lanterns and hung them up around the living room.
ReplyDeletethis year it occured to me that there's probably a difference between burritos and fajitas: maybe the former uses ground meat, beans, and cheese, while the latter uses strips of meat. a longstanding mystery solved?