Cinco de Mayo 2025: Mexican holiday's meaning, origin explained
Americans, including people of Mexican American heritage, along with our neighbors in Mexico, celebrate with parades, festivals, music and food. This year, Cinco de Mayo falls on Monday, May 5.
While Cinco de Mayo honors Mexico's resilience and bravery in the face of strife, the holiday has also become, for some, an excuse to party.
"Everyone thinks that it's just party time, it's Corona time," Mario Garcia, a Chicanx historian from the University of California at Santa Barbara, shared in a May 2023 interview with USA TODAY.
"It's OK for people to go out and have a good time on a holiday like Cinco de Mayo -- at least they have some sense that it's some kind of a Mexican holiday," Garcia said. "But we should go beyond that. We should have Cinco de Mayo events that go beyond partying and drinking, where we call attention to what the history is."
Here's what to know about the origins of Cinco de Mayo, and how it's celebrated in the U.S. today.
Why is Cinco de Mayo often confused with Mexico's Independence Day?
Though many might know the lore behind Cinco de Mayo, it is often confused with Mexico's Independence Day, which falls on Sept. 16. It is known as the Dia de la Independencia in Mexico.
Part of the confusion about what Cinco de Mayo celebrates likely stems from the names of the two holidays, which might be harder for some English speakers to say. Cinco de Mayo is much catchier than the day of Mexico's independence (Diez y seis de Septiembre), Garcia said.
Another issue is that not enough American schools teach the importance of Chicanx history and its peoples' contributions to the U.S.
"When you study the history of Chicanos and Latinos, of course, they've been history makers," Garcia said. "They've been involved in all aspects of American history, not to mention the wars ... In World War II alone, almost half a million Latinos - mostly Mexican Americans - fought in the war. And they won a disproportionate number of congressional Medals of Honor."
The Battle at Puebla also occurred more than 50 years after the country broke free of Spanish rule. The reason the battle happened in the first place was because French Emperor Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to claim Mexico for himself.
The French sent troops to force President Benito Juarez and the government out of Veracruz, Mexico.
An outnumbered band of Mexican soldiers faced 6,000 French troops at daybreak in Puebla, a city in east-central Mexico, on May 5, 1862. Mexico, miraculously, was able to claim victory by the evening, at which time Juarez declared May 5 a national holiday.
The victory also helped prevent the French from settling in and helping the American Confederacy in the Civil War, according to History.com.
Why is Cinco de Mayo more popular in the U.S. than in Mexico?
Cinco de Mayo celebrations do occur in Mexico, most notably in the City of Puebla; those events don't compare to Dia de la Independencia celebrations, Garcia said. Meanwhile, in the U.S, it's become an annual celebration of Mexican American culture.
It began as a form of resistance to the effects of the Mexican-American War in the late 19th century. The holiday gained popularity during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
"It becomes a Chicano holiday, in many ways, linked to the Chicano movement, because we discover Mexicans resisting a foreign invader," Garcia said. "They link the struggle of the Chicano movement to Cinco de Mayo."
Companies, especially beer companies and restaurants, began commercializing the holiday in the 1980s, offering customers "Cinco de Mayo" specials and cocktails.
The holiday is now known to some as Cinco de Drinko, and to Garcia as "Corona Day." This Cinco de Mayo, Garcia hopes everyone enjoys their Coronas, but perhaps with a little history lesson to wash it down.
Cinco de Mayo celebrated around the U.S.
San Diego: San Diego's Cinco de Mayo celebrations were held May 3 and 4 in Old Town San Diego. Activities included live music, folklorico, dining and drink specials.
Denver: The Mile High City hosted several holiday-related activities over the weekend of May 3 for Cinco de Mayo Denver, from a community parade to chihuahua races. Events were held May 3-4 at Denver Civic Center Park from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Paul, Minnesota: St. Paul's annual Cinco de Mayo celebration was in the city's West Side neighborhood and was one of Minnesota's largest Latino events. This year, festivities were held May 3 and included live performances, a car show and pro wrestling.
San Antonio, Texas: Fiesta San Antonio is a 10-day celebration of state history and culture with parades, fairs, art shows, music and food. Festivities continued until Sunday, May 4.
Los Angeles: Fiesta Broadway, one of the largest Latino and Cinco de Mayo festivals in the world, runs down four blocks in downtown Los Angeles. The annual festival happened this year on April 27, according to event organizers.
Contributing: Emily DeLetter, Jordan Mendoza and Maria Jimenez Moya, USA TODAY
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
21 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Inside Newport home designed by Habershon and Faulkner
The Grade II listed Fields House in Newport was designed by Habershon and Faulkner. The house has been recently renovated, balancing its 19th-century origins with modern living. The gothic-inspired exterior has individually carved stone corbels and ample parking behind a gated entrance. The home has ornate decor (Image: Mr & Mrs Clarke) The interior features dreamy sash windows, period details, and oak parquet flooring. The study, overlooking the gardens and pond, contains an Italian marble fireplace and superfast broadband. The dining room has an original fireplace and a working bell system. The drawing room boasts mullioned windows, wooden shutters, and gilded cornice work. The kitchen has an Aga and a range cooker (Image: Mr & Mrs Clarke) The ground floor also contains a sauna, shower room, WC, utility room, a 'Maid's Room' with a mezzanine, and a wine cellar. The kitchen has an Aga, range cooker, Belfast sink, and French-style windows. A galleried landing leads to the master suite, which has views across the river, a dressing room, and an en suite bathroom. The rest of the house includes four more bedrooms, an Art Deco inspired family bathroom, and two attic rooms. Outside, the property has large gardens, a kitchen garden with fruit trees and vegetable areas, and a private patio and BBQ area.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Titillating tome as controversial as Lady Chatterley's Mollusc
His son used to help him wash windows during the summer holidays, so he was, of course, known as Shammy Davis Junior. Red turns bread A blatant example has been identified by Diary correspondent Alasdair Sinclair, who has uncovered a report stating that the Red Cross and the Red Crescent are to merge. Says Alasdair: 'It's alleged that a joint committee charged with managing the amalgamation has come up with a name for the combined body which, while reminiscent of the traditional titles of both societies, is shorn of any political association or religious imagery, and is in accordance with modern tastes… the Coloured Croissant.' Mind your language DELIGHTED linguist Sally Haggerty says: 'Learning French has encouraged me to live in the moment, because I currently can't conjugate any other verb tense.' The name game RESPECTED American author Edmund White died recently, which reminds Edmund McGonigle, the owner of the Voltaire & Rousseau bookshop in Glasgow's Otago Lane, of the time the literary lion stopped him in the street to ask directions to a restaurant. McGonigle admitted he couldn't assist, then asked if he happened to be chatting to Edmund White, man of letters. Receiving an affirmative answer, our correspondent announced that he, too, was an Edmund. At which point the famous novelist revealed that he came from a long line of Edmunds. 'I mentioned this later to a friend called Bill, who had German ancestry,' says McGonigle. 'He replied that he came from a long line of Willys, which gave me pause for thought…'
Leader Live
4 days ago
- Leader Live
Property in Rossett, Wrexham up for sale for £550,000
The property in Burton Green, Rossett, is up for sale with Fisher German for £550,000. The home boasts four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a spacious kitchen and living room area. A spokesperson for Fisher German said: "A delightful bungalow offering a sense of light and space, located in an idyllic setting within the hamlet of Burton Green. Extensive parking and garaging, compliments the spacious interior. "A canopy entrance gives way to the enclosed porch, in-turn opening into a large and welcoming reception hall. The hub of the house is the kitchen with space for a large breakfast table, with twin patio doors opening to the pretty courtyard garden. The kitchen is fitted with a range of gloss cabinets under quartz work surfaces, with a broad range of integral appliances including a range cooker. "To the rear of the house is an exceptional living room with oak plank flooring, an open fireplace within a feature brick chimneypiece and a glazed bay, with French doors to the courtyard. PROPERTY "Occupying the northern wing is the bedroom accommodation, including a principal bedroom enjoying a large en suite shower room and French doors lead to the rear lawned garden. There are three further bedrooms. The family bathroom is fitted with an oversize shower cubicle and a 2-piece white contemporary suite, fully tiled and includes a chrome heated towel radiator. Also within the northern wing, is a utility with adjoining WC and a study. "A gated entrance opens onto an expansive tarmacadam driveway, affording parking for numerous vehicles, in turn leading to a double garage. To the front of the house is an exquisite boxwood knot garden, neatly clipped. "To the south of the house, is a delightful courtyard garden, flagged in natural stone, with a variety of established shrubs including camelia, fig, bamboo and boxwood. There is an adjoining enclosed courtyard with garden stores and a workshop. To the rear of the house is a lawned garden, with views across open farmland."
