Posted on 05/06/2010 10:40:47 AM PDT by a fool in paradise
With a brutal drug war still raging in the Mexican border towns of Reynosa and Ciudad Juarez, and now the fear of a strict immigration bill in Arizona that makes it a crime to not carry immigration documents, you might think Mexicans would look forward to something worth celebrating... But for most Mexicans today is just another Wednesday... Today is also just a few weeks after Holy Week, the last time those who could afford it may have taken time off from work to celebrate anything...
Though many people in the U.S. regard this date as a celebration of Mexico's independence, in truth, Cinco de Mayo marks the Battle of Puebla and the Mexican army's defeat of a much larger and better-equipped French army attempting to conquer its weakened government... the Battle of Puebla was little more than a skirmish in the country's long and bloody history. Today in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo will be commemorated primarily in the state of Puebla and recognized during a small ceremony in the capitol.
The holiday, which has never really been much of one in Mexico, crossed over to this side of the border in the 1950s and 1960s, as civil rights activists were attempting to build harmony between the two countries and cultures. The date gained more attention in the 1980s when marketers, particularly beer companies, saw this as a perfect opportunity to capitalize on the celebratory nature of the holiday...
So why do we celebrate the lesser of the two Mexican holidays? One reason may be that Cinco de Mayo happens to fall closer to the start of the summer season, only a few weeks before Memorial Day; while Dieciséis de Septiembre, clearly more notable of the two holidays, has the misfortune of falling after summer and Labor Day...
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Just imagine if France still ran Mexico.
Basically another fake holiday like Kwannza (sp?).
Just imagine if Texas still held Mexico City.
Happy Holidays (Communist May Day, Cerveza De Mayo, and National Day of Prayer).
More like St Patrick’s Day. Somebody figured out how to use the holiday to sell lots of beer in America so now we are much more into the holiday than the people in the country it came from.
Stay thirsty my friends..
More like St. Patrick’s Day w/ Dos Equis instead of Guinness.
Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellman’s mayonnaise was manufactured in England. The “Titanic” was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York City.
The Mexican people were eagerly awaiting delivery and were disconsolate at the loss. So much so that they declared a national day of mourning which they still observe today. It is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.
Monkey see monkey do huh?
Dos Equis is the only beer appropriate for both Cinco de Mayo and Oktoberfest. The company was founded by a German and uses mostly German recipes.
isnt mexico the birth place of syphilis?
I think technically more the Caribbean although there is huge debate whether the virulent syphilis originally came from the New World.
It’s only okay to call Bush a monkey.
Created by a beer distributor.
Not sure which one, I think one from Texas.
Oh, that’s right!
Just imagine that Mexico was located somewhere on the European continent instead of here.
The indigenous people waged a campaign of genocide against Columbus and his men by giving them diseases for which they had no resistence. < /academic crackpot conspiracy theory flipped on its head >
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