Cinco de Mayo is one of those holidays, which has basically been adopted by Americans, although its origins lie on the other side of the Rio Grande. The holiday is celebrated each May 5th and honors the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 against a much better and larger equipped force of French troops.
It is primarily a local holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and all over the state of Puebla, but is also celebrated in several parts of the world with a Mexican population. In Mexico, the Cinco De Mayo event celebrated mostly in Puebla, where the historic battle took place, as well as in Mexico City, where there are yearly parades and reenactments of the battle, along with speeches and additional historical events surrounding the events of May 5th, 1862.
Cinco de Mayo Activities
Bizarrely enough, plenty of the Americans who celebrate Cinco de Mayo day with great enthusiasm are do not know of the history behind the holiday, frequently mistaking it for Mexico's Independence Day. As a matter of fact, Mexico declared this day was independence from Spain on September 16th, 1810 — more than fifty years before the Battle of Puebla; it is a bit of Cinco de Mayo. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with big parades and performances of customary Mexican dances and music in many cities, with St. Paul, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland all hosting large official Cinco de Mayo day celebrations.
Cinco de Mayo day marks a very special occasion in the history of Mexico. This festival celebration now takes place all around the world, especially in the United States where many people of Mexican ancestry celebrate their unique culture and heritage.