Misunderstanding Cinco de Mayo

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Jennifer Campos Olvera, Writer

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated due to the Battle of Puebla, which Mexico won over France. Many people confuse Cinco de Mayo as the Independence day of Mexico. The independence day of Mexico is actually on September 16th, not in May. This holiday is very well known, especially in Puebla. Cinco de Mayo is a great celebration for Hispanic and Latino people.

Cinco de Mayo is often used as an excuse to party instead of actually celebrate the meaning of Cinco de Mayo.  On this day, many Hispanic delicious plates are served, like enchiladas, grilled chicken, and some other amazing tasty food. The appropriate colors to wear would be red, white and green since they represent the colors of the Mexican flag, and this shows respect for their victory against France.

Cinco de Mayo is a great way to spend quality time with your family, friends, and other people you choose to have fun with. This holiday is a chance to remember the victory at Puebla and be happy that it is such a nice holiday to just relax with family dancing, eating and having fun. When people misunderstand the actual meaning of the holiday, it can be really offensive to the Hispanic community.

Many misunderstandings can happen on Cinco de Mayo. For example, people might use it as an excuse to party, but most use it as a way to give respect to the Battle of Puebla and honor the victory. The environment of the celebration may be very vibrant, with pops of color everywhere. Mexican decorations are everywhere and the Mexican flag is as well. Everything looks simple but very welcoming and really helps make everything look nice.

This holiday is mostly celebrated in large Hispanic populated areas that are even visited by tourist to see how the Hispanic culture celebrates it instead of how others feel like it’s celebrated. Throwing a party of your own for this holiday can be such a good idea as long as you know that it’s known by Mexico’s victory over France, not the independence of Mexico. When arranging everything for the celebration it would be nice to use the colors of the Mexican flag to show respect. Also, you can have a mariachi band, which is mostly used as music when celebrating this holiday. Make sure to have tasty food, throw in some snacks, and some good drinks like fruit juices and more drinks.

In conclusion, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s independence day, it’s the victory over France. It’s an amazing holiday to enjoy food and music. Everyone can celebrate this as much as they want as long as its respectfully and without any types of stereotypes. This is a great holiday to throw a party and organize it as much as you like with different decorations and all types of fun. Have a mariachi or any music, have good snacks and food and enjoy the time that you spend with your family on this amazing day. This holiday is perfect for showing honor and having fun while doing it, so this upcoming Cinco de Mayo have fun, eat food, and dance.