Tomorrow is May 5, and the United States (and to a much lesser extent, Mexico) is celebrating Cinco de Mayo. The Mexican holiday is decorated with music, dancing, and food; CNN accumulated a list explaining why, exactly, it is such a big deal.
1. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory over France at the Battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862. In a classic "David-over-Goliath" victory, a small Mexican troop under the command of Ignacio Zaragoza defeated a larger French army.
2. Zaragoza was actually born in present-day Goliad, Texas, which is declared the official place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
3. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated all around the US, and there are large festivals in Chicago, Denver, and Portland.
4. Cinco de Mayo started becoming widely celebrated in the 1960s, when Mexican-American activists started raising its profile as a way to spread pride throughout Latino communities.
5. Cinco de Mayo is a wonderful excuse to pig out on Mexican cuisine and drinking.
I think this is the perfect example of how American society takes the cultures of its diverse population and accumulates them into one large melting pot. All Americans can experience a piece of the Latin culture with Cinco de Mayo, and in effect it develops the culture of society as whole. We are a better, more welcoming country when we can appreciate, learn from, and experience all cultures, religions, and ethnic groups of our country.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/living/feat-cinco-de-mayo-5-things/index.html
It is great for people to be able to celebrate their cultural heritage! This is similar to groups such as AIM for Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteI agree! The amount of cultural diffusion this country has experienced because of immigration is crazy and so great. With all of this diversity, we can experience such celebrations like these and learn so much about other cultures.
ReplyDelete