Happy Cinco de Mayo, there’s a chance we’ll be able to celebrate it a little more openly this year compared to last. It is important to note that despite the parties, there is real meaning behind the holiday. Here we take a look at ten fun facts about Cinco de Mayo.
“Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It’s often confused with the Mexican Independence Day, which actually occurred on September 16, 1810—about 50 years earlier.”
“Historians believe that the first Cinco de Mayo celebrations were held by Mexican-Americans living in California during the American Civil War. It was not so much “celebrations” as political rallies held for the purpose of generating support for Mexico during the Franco-Mexican War,”
“President Franklin Roosevelt helped bring Cinco de Mayo celebrations to the U.S. The holiday started to be celebrated in the U.S. after President Roosevelt created the “Good Neighbor Policy” in 1933 to improve relations with Latin American countries.”
“Cinco de Mayo is typically honored across the United States with jubilant street festivals that attract sizable crowds. All sorts of merry-making is liable to take place, but some celebrations are bigger than others (more on that later). Depending where you are on the big day, parades, live music, dancing, food and drink might factor into the festivities.”
“In addition to the normal stuff, Chandler, AZ celebrates Cinco de mayo with Chihuahua races. Chihuahua owners enter their pups in a race and receive a large cash prize if their dog is the fastest.”
“Cinco de Mayo is not a major holiday in Mexico. It is a day off for students, but besides some parades and civic events, celebrations are generally low-key.”
“Americans drink an average of 3.5 alcoholic beverages each on Cinco de Mayo, according to a survey from Alcohol.org.”
“Avocado sales boom every year. In fact, according to the California Avocado Commission, people consume 87 million pounds of avocados for the holiday. Unsurprisingly, May 5 also sees an uptick in margarita sales.”
“Aside from the U.S and Mexico, it is also celebrated in Australia, Japan, South Africa, and Canada. In Vancouver, people hold an annual skydiving festival called the Cinco de Mayo Boogie as part of celebrating Mexican culture.”
“The official dish of the holiday is mole poblano because it is a traditional dish in Puebla. (Mole is pronounced moe-lay.) Mole poblano is a spicy chicken dish with a deep, dark reddish-brown sauce called mole. The sauce contains about 20 ingredients that includes chili peppers and chocolate.”
