Monday, May 5, 2014

Cinco de Mayo

Oh good Lord!  I'm a bad Mexican-American.  I've been in Euroland so long that I forgot today was Cinco de Mayo. 

I knew that today was May 5th because my calendar was full of meetings but I lost the connection to Cinco de Mayo until one of my Spanish-speaking colleagues reminded me.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory of the French in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla.  It is not Mexican Independence Day (that's on September 16th).

It's a big deal in Puebla; less so in other parts of Mexico.  It's a very big deal in the USA, especially in states with large Mexican populations like California and Texas.  North of the border it's more about celebrating Mexican heritage (and drinking) than remembering a +150 year old battle.  I've done a decent job of celebrating Thanksgiving over here, perhaps next year I should look at doing something for Cinco de Mayo.

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