This is the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo and why it is such a big celebration in the US

Cinco de Mayo is not really a huge thing in Mexico. I know that may sound like sacrilege to many Mexican-Americans, or Latinos in general, but let me qualify that for you. I’ll bring it back, I promise.

The commemoration of the defeat of the French at the Battle of Puebla is widely popular in the US, but is not really a thing in Mexico itself, apart from in the region around Puebla itself. It is not even a national holiday, just a regional one. On the larger scale, Cinco de Mayo is associated with the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, and understandably understated.

For the Mexican diaspora, however, things are different. For many, this date managed to tie together several holidays nicely. Slotting nicely into a gringo calendar that had no major holidays in early may and being so near the traditional workers’ holiday of May Day, Cinco de Mayo became the focus for these first, second, and third generation Americans to celebrate their own life journey.

In this guise, Cinco de Mayo celebrations gained popularity, particularly in California, during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 70s, a social movement advocating for the better treatment and civil rights of all Mexicans in America, led by the enigmatic Cesar Chavez.

Moulded through this mash of class, race, immigration, and circumstance, Cinco de Mayo would eventually become what it is today: a celebration, not so much of Mexico or even of what is a fairly obscure historical battle, but of Mexican culture within the United States. In brief, it is a celebration of the Mexican-American experience.

And that is a cause worthy of celebrating. Culture is like language. Once it has been given to you, no matter where it originally came from, then it is yours. Own it. The experiences of Mexican-Americans are all equally valid, and none are any more or less worthy than the wider Mexican national experience. So this Cinco de Mayo, raise a glass and toast Mexico, but be sure to toast your own personal history as well. After all, this holiday is for you.

Cinco de Mayo is a purely Mexican holiday, but it has been adopted by the United State to such an extent that it seems to be a national holiday native to the country. But do you know why Cinco de Mayo is commemorated in the United States if it is a culturally foreign celebration?

The origin of Cinco de Mayo in the United States

Cinco de Mayo has a strong connection to Mexico, although it is nowhere near as popular as it is in the United States. That is aside from Puebla where the story gets its start with the victory of the Mexican army, commanded by Ignacio Zaragoza, against the French army in the Battle of Puebla occurred in 1862 that took place on May 5th.

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Despite being a Mexican holiday, it has usually been celebrated more in the United States since 1867 by Mexican immigrants. That’s because General Zaragoza was born in what is now Texas, but at the time of his birth was still a part of Mexico.

What is the meaning of Cinco de Mayo?

The celebration of 1867 was so impressive that it caught the attention of several more immigrants, as well as a large number of Americans. It is worth mentioning that at first it was only celebrated by Mexicans, since it was tied back to their roots. Overtime more immigrants joined them, as the celebration became a banner carried by other oppressed groups living in the United States.