Cinco de Mayo: Frequently asked online questions about the holiday
CNN —
You know the old saying, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question?”
Turns out, there is.
And when it comes to Cinco de Mayo – the annual fiesta that gives Americans an excuse to load up on tacos and margaritas – people ask a LOT of them.
These are actual questions people asked on Google and other search engines about the Mexican holiday, which is a bigger deal in the US than it is in Mexico.
Cinco = 5. de Mayo = of May. So, May 5.
Cinco de Mayo.
On Cinco de Mayo.
*Sigh. On Cinco de Mayo.
We’ve been through this already.
There was no Cinco de Mayo war.
The holiday celebrates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It was a relatively minor battle – the French reclaimed Puebla a year later – but a symbolic one because a small Mexican army defeated a larger occupying force. By 1867, Mexican troops had driven France from the country.
Many Americans assume Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day. It’s not. That holiday falls on September 16 and commemorates the Grito de Dolores, a priest’s ringing of a church bell in the town of Dolores in 1810 that triggered Mexico’s War of Independence from Spain.
It’s not a federal holiday, although the day is celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla with parades and fireworks. In the US, the day has become a marketing tool for restaurants, bars, beer companies and makers of tequila.
Mariachis take part in a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City on October 31, 2021. Claudio Cruz/AFP/Getty Images
No. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a three-day holiday in which families across Mexico gather to remember deceased friends and family members. It’s usually held from October 31 to November 2.
No. But you should avoid wearing items that reinforce Mexican cultural stereotypes, such as sombreros and fake mustaches.
Wherever you want it to be! If your party game is strong, Cinco de Mayo could even be a state of mind.
And our absolute favorite question …
We give up.
This previously published story was updated in 2023.
Source: CNN
