The Reasons Behind the Celebrations
By Carol Fisher-Linn
May 5th. It’s a great day to party, but do you know there is a story about the events of this day that impacted the way our American Civil War ended? (More reason to celebrate). Find Cinco de Mayo music on Spotify (open.spotify.com), listen to Cielito Lindo (“Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, sing and don’t cry …”) or Ritchie Valens La Bamba (“To dance the Bamba, one needs a bit of grace”), grab a Margarita (47% of all 5/5 drinks) or a cold one ($700M for the week), assume the celebratory mood and read on. Here’s the set up: The marimba, trumpets, maracas, Mexican guitar, accordion, violins, drums, or the mariachi bands transport you to the middle of a vibrant, busy, dusty Mexican courtyard filled with revelers and dancers in brightly colored traditional Tehuana dress (a shirt called huipil and a full skirt), maybe topped off with a headdress called a Resplendor. The guys will likely be dressed in sarape, sombrero, guayabero, baja jacket, charro suit – (think Three Amigos) jacket, black pants, a white shirt and boots, and poncho. The sarape is a vibrantly colored garment with a fringe. It is used as a shawl-like coat and blanket.
Going to a party on Cinco de Mayo? eHow.com offers this suggestion: “… embroidered clothing offers an understated and elegant look. Embroidered skirts, tunics and pants come in designs both colorful and monochrome with patterns for every taste … a celebrant may wear a wide-brimmed hat. In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, the word “sombrero” denotes any hat with a wide brim. Traditional Mexican sombreros look more like cowboy hats than the large, floppy straw hat commonly worn on Cinco de Mayo in America.”
Food is a huge part of the celebration. One must try Mexico’s national dish – mole pablano – turkey breasts with chocolate chile sauce – find recipe on foodnetwork.com: lots of chilies, best prepared one day early. Then choose an elote – Mexican street corn (sweet and savory, tangy and spicy all at once). Made with corn on the cob slathered with mayo and spiced with chili powder and lime juice with a sprinkling of Cotija cheese and cilantro. Look for a street taco or ceviche (a raw fish appetizer), pan dulce (sweet bread), maybe top it with cajeta (caramel-like sauce with goat’s milk) and wrap up with a paleta (think popsicle but made with fresh natural fruits or even chocolate). Through all the noshing, remember the avocado dip. In Mexico, avocado is “aguacate”- pronounced “AH-gua-CAH-te.” South Central Mexico is the motherland of aguacates, where ancient Aztecs discovered avocados more than 10,000 years ago! It is rumored that in America on the day of festivities 81 million pounds of avocados are consumed and $2.9 billion is spent on margaritas each year. Hey, anything to boost the economy!
So, here’s a thumbnail history explaining all the hullabaloo: Mexico was in serious financial straits in 1862. Benito Juárez’s government neglected to pay its foreign debts to certain European countries including France. Now, France had hopes to gain control of Mexico. Their general headed to Mexico City, hoping to overthrow Juárez. But when they got to the city of Puebla, 70 miles from Mexico City, they encountered Ukrainian-like warriors who had other ideas and discovered that their might wasn’t quite so mighty. They sent the French packing and four days later Juárez declared Cinco de Mayo a National Holiday. The victory was short-lived when the French took control of Mexico in 1864, but it helped create an alliance with Americans to make Napoleon III’s forces withdraw. Here’s the connection to the American Civil War: It was believed that France was prepared to aid the Confederacy in the war, but Mexico’s resistance is credited for changing the history of the United States. So, pro-Union Californians began celebrating May 5th as a victory for America and, before long, the fun spread across America. In fact, it is celebrated more in America then it is in Mexico, except for the states of Puebla and Veracruz where battle reenactments and poblano culture displays are held. So, celebrate! You could always sponsor a Chihuahua race as they do in Chandler, AZ, or skydive like they do in Vancouver, CA. ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
Caption” Food is a huge part of the celebration. One must try Mexico’s national dish – mole pablano – turkey breasts with chocolate chile sauce – find recipe on foodnetwork.com: lots of chilies, best prepared one day early.