Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Did you know?

"Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zarogoza Seguin.
The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had known no defeat for almost 50 years. However, Cinco de Mayo is not "an obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.


While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. However, a common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico."


Courtesy of Wikipedia. After all, according Michael Scott (ala The Office), "Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information." Hee hee, oh it makes me giggle every time.

Now why do those of us Americans who claim no Mexican decent celebrate this illustrious holiday? Honestly, I have no idea.

No, I take that back. I do have an idea. It's because we Americans (this is a gross generalization, forgive me) are always looking for another excuse to party. Boogie down. Booze up. Sorry if this is a slightly slanted view on our society, but I'm a dispatcher. This is the world that I know. The dark underbelly if you will. Thank goodness for our normal friends, or I'd be convinced that the entire world is full of stupid.

Wow, I seriously didn't mean for this post to be a downer. Please, go enjoy your Cinco de Mayo! I know I'm going to - tonight is Homebrew Club and I feel some excellent homebrewed beer and possibly a little wine coming on! In moderation of course.

'Cause I'm waaaaay too white to claim ANY Mexican decent.

1 comment:

Arly said...

I'm as Mexican as they come, after all my name is Dominguez. Heeheehee. We do not celebrate his heritage. We are Americans. :)