Cinco de Mayo: Meaning, battle of Puebla, and celebrations explained
Cinco de Mayo means "Fifth of May" in Spanish. Cinco de Mayo is pronounced cin-koh deh my-oh in English. The Spanish pronunciation is [ˈsiŋ.ko ðe ˈma.ʝo]. In Spanish, the "cinco" is pronounced as "sing-koh", and the "de" is a prepostion meaning "of". The Cambridge Dictionary provides the pronunciation in both English and Spanish.
On May 5, 1862, a determined Mexican force of about 2,000 soldiers faced off against 6,000 French troops led by General Felix de Lorencez. After hours of fierce fighting, 1,000 French soldiers were killed, while fewer than 500 Mexicans lost their lives. The unexpected Mexican victory was celebrated across the country and continues to be a source of national pride.
Though widely celebrated in the US, Cinco de Mayo is often misunderstood. It is not Mexico's Independence Day. Instead, Cinco de Mayo is specifically about commemorating Mexico's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla. It became especially prominent in the United States, where it is seen as a day to celebrate Mexican culture, heritage, and contributions to American society.
In both the US and Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is a day for festivities, including parades, mariachi music, folk dancing, and Mexican cuisine. People often dress in colorful, festive clothing, with many wearing the colors of the Mexican flag—red, white, and green. In the US, it has grown into a larger celebration of Mexican-American culture, with cities like Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Chicago hosting vibrant celebrations.
On Cinco de Mayo, a common greeting in Spanish is "Feliz Cinco de Mayo!" meaning "Happy Fifth of May." This phrase is used to spread joy and celebrate the cultural significance of the holiday.
While the holiday is celebrated primarily in the US today, the City of Puebla remains the focal point of the day in Mexico, with reenactments, cultural events, and parades commemorating the historic victory. Cinco de Mayo serves as a reminder of Mexico's resilience and a celebration of Mexican culture, history, and heritage.
First Published: 5 May 2025, 08:21 PM IST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Terrifying Video: Yacht Worth Rs 300 Crore Engulfed In Massive Fire In Ibiza
The yacht, called Da Vinci, caught fire. The dramatic footage shows the vessel completely destroyed in flames before sinking. A luxury superyacht worth €30 million (around Rs 306 crore) was recently filmed sinking in the Mediterranean Sea after a massive fire near Ibiza, Spain. Named Da Vinci, the yacht was engulfed in flames, and dramatic footage shows the vessel being completely destroyed. According to reports, all onboard, including four passengers, two crew members and the captain, were safely rescued without injuries. Despite the swift response of rescue teams, the fire was so intense that it could not be contained, and the yacht ultimately sank to the sea floor. The cause of the blaze has not yet been confirmed. Fire Begins In The Engine Room Luis Gascon, the maritime captain of Ibiza, told Ultima Hora that the yacht sank at 6:19 pm in waters near the Ses Salines Natural Park. While the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, it reportedly started in the yacht's engine room. Initially, the blaze seemed manageable, but as the rescue team attempted to tow the vessel, the flames in the engine room quickly spiralled out of control, making it impossible to save the yacht. The rescue team, Salvamento Marítimo, shared the video on Instagram and informed, 'Fire broke out on board the Da Vinci vessel, 7.3 miles southwest of Punta Gavina (Formentera). CCS Palma deployed the Guardamar Concepción Arenal and Salvamar Naos, which also transported firefighters. All seven crew members were safely evacuated to shore by the Naos. The fire could not be controlled, and the yacht eventually sank. The Guardamar remains in the area, clearing debris." Incendio a bordo de embarcación Da Vinci a 7,3 millas al SW de Punta Gavina (Formentera). CCS Palma moviliza Guardamar Concepción Arenal y Salvamar Naos, que traslada también bomberos. Los 7 tripulantes han sido evacuados por la Naos a tierra en buen estado. El incendio no ha… — SALVAMENTO MARÍTIMO (@salvamentogob) August 11, 2025 Public Reacts With Concern Over Safety And Environmental Impact Reacting to the post, a user wrote, 'I don't even want to imagine that situation." Another suggested, 'Boats with little professional maintenance, the sea corrodes the electrical installations and must be inspected every 6 months with the change of anodes and stability and tension tests in all their lines. It is not expensive to buy the boat. Keeping it in conditions is the problem." 'If throwing trash in the sea is punishable, if you sink in a boat, is it considered the same? In the end, it's to get to the bottom of the sea, something that shouldn't be there," a comment read. One more added, 'They could already limit the access of yachts to Formentera because they are ruining the beaches with so many boats and their accidents and fires, a little more control would not go wrong, that protects the island NOW." According to Boat International, Da Vinci, part of Spanish shipyard Astondoa's 95 GLX series, was a luxury superyacht designed for comfort and entertainment. The vessel featured a wet bar, a barbecue area, and a flybridge for open-air views. It could accommodate up to 10 guests and included a private owner's suite for an intimate experience. view comments Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: August 14, 2025, 15:32 IST News viral Terrifying Video: Yacht Worth Rs 300 Crore Engulfed In Massive Fire In Ibiza Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Auction Of World's Largest Mars Meteorite Sparks Ownership Debate
United States: The recent auction of a Martian meteorite -- for a record-grabbing $5.3 million at Sotheby's New York -- has sparked questions over its provenance and renewed debate over who gets to claim rocks fallen from the heavens. The hefty 54-pound (25-kilogram) stone is the largest Martian meteorite ever discovered on Earth, according to its Sotheby's listing, and was found in November 2023 in the vast Saharan desert in Niger. The government of Niger has announced that it will open an investigation following the auction, saying it appears to "have all the characteristics of illicit international trafficking." On Friday, the government suspended exports of precious stones and meteorites until further notice. Sotheby's has rejected the accusations, insisting that the meteorite was "was exported from Niger and transported in line with all relevant international procedure." In light of the controversy, however, a review of the case is underway, a Sotheby's spokesperson told AFP. "The stone journeyed 140 million miles through space, and hurtled through Earth's atmosphere before crashing in the Sahara Desert," the Sotheby's listing said. Following its discovery, the jagged, ochre-colored stone was then sold to an international dealer, briefly exhibited in Italy, and eventually ended up in the auction catalog in New York. For American paleontologist Paul Sereno, who has worked closely with Niger's authorities for years, all signs suggest that the stone left the country "illicitly." "Everybody's anonymous -- from the person who found it, the dealers, the guy who bought it, everybody's anonymous," he told AFP, making no secret of his frustration. "If they had put on baseball gloves and caught the meteorite as was hurtling towards Earth before it landed in any country, they could claim it... but I'm sorry, it landed there. It belongs to Niger," he said. - 'We should respect it' - Laws governing the ownership of meteorites vary based on their point of impact. In the United States, for example, if a rock falls on private land, the property owners have ownership rights. In Niger, however, a law governs "national cultural patrimony," which includes rare mineralogical specimens, according to Matthieu Gounelle, a professor at France's National History Museum, and his father Max Gounelle, a French university professor. Both are specialists in regulations governing the collection and sale of meteorites. "In our opinion, there is no doubt that meteorites should be included among the rare mineralogical specimens" protected by Nigerien law, they told AFP. Beyond the legal battle and the possible involvement of a trafficking network, the sale of the meteorite also raises science ethics questions. The rock, named NWA 16788, has unique scientific research value. Much larger than other Martian meteorites that have been recorded to date, it offers a unique insight into the geological history of the Red Planet. Like other Martian meteorites, it is believed to have been ejected into space when an asteroid slammed into Mars. "This is nature's heritage. In many ways, it's world heritage, and it's telling us things about the cosmos. We should respect it," Sereno said. "It's not something to my mind that should be auctioned up to potentially disappear into someone's mantle."
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Economic Times
Robert Clive: Why the founder of British Indian empire slit his own throat
iStock Robert Clive the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency 18th Century On a grey November morning in 1774, London was buzzing with a shocking story. Robert Clive, Baron Clive of Plassey, called by some the founder of Britain's Indian Empire and by others its 'most shameless plunderer', was Walpole, the witty politician, told friends Clive had 'cut his own throat.' Lady Mary Coke, an English noblewoman, wrote in her diary that he had 'killed himself.' Some said a razor was found by his side, others whispered about opium. The coroner's report gave no clear cause, but many believed Britain's most famous 'nabob' had ended his own life. It was, some thought, a fitting end for a man whose rise had been as ruthless as his fall. Also Read: After Jhansi ki Rani, another queen fought the BritishRobert Clive was born in 1725 in the small Shropshire village of Styche. As a boy, he was described in books as restless, quick-tempered, and full of ambition. Local tales say he once climbed a church tower and sat on the edge, legs dangling high above the ground, showing early that he was not easily scared. At around 19, with little to keep him in England, Clive sailed to Madras as a junior clerk for the East India Company. It was 1744, and the Company was still a trading business, not yet an empire. But India at that time was divided between rival princes and competing European powers. In this chaos, Clive's boldness, cunning, and skill for planning found their place. By 1751, the French-backed Chanda Sahib threatened British influence in southern India. Clive, still only a junior officer, proposed seizing Arcot, a bold strike deep in enemy territory. Marching 200 British troops and 300 sepoys through monsoon rains, he took the town without resistance. For 50 days, his force held against an army ten times its Thomas Babington Macaulay romanticised this siege, '…the commander who had to conduct the defence… had been bred as a book-keeper… After three desperate onsets, the besiegers retired… the garrison lost only five or six men.'William Pitt the Elder, Prime Minister, called him a 'heaven-born general,' a title Clive wore proudly, though he had never had formal military Read: When Bengali gym bros flexed muscles against the BritishSix years later came the event that made Clive's name, and his fortune. In 1756, Siraj-ud-Daulah, the new Nawab of Bengal, took control of Calcutta. After the 'Black Hole' incident, where many British captives died, Clive set out to retake the 23 June 1757, at Plassey, Clive faced 50,000 men with only 3,000. But the real battle had been fought in secret, key Nawabi commanders, including Mir Jafar, had already been promised British gold and power. The Nawab's army broke apart before any large in Britain called it military genius. Others saw it as plain bribery and betrayal. Either way, Bengal, the richest province in India, passed into Company control. Historians agree this was a turning point in the creation of British rule in returned to England in 1760 with a fortune that made him one of the wealthiest men in the country, £234,000 in cash from Bengal's new ruler, plus a jagir worth £30,000 a year. He bought estates, secured a seat in Parliament, and in 1762 was made Baron Clive of Plassey. Pitt repeated his 'heaven-born general' the public mood was shifting. To many, Clive and his fellow 'nabobs' were symbols of greed. In Parliament, he was accused of plunder and corruption. His infamous defence, that he was 'astonished at my own moderation' given how much more he might have taken, only deepened his villainous image. Also Read: Narco-colonialism: How Britain exploited Indians for its drug trade with China By 1765, Bengal's finances were collapsing under Company misrule. Clive returned, this time to consolidate rather than conquer. At the Treaty of Allahabad, he secured from the Mughal Emperor the diwani, the right to collect taxes in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. This single stroke made the Company the true ruler of restructured the army, raised salaries to curb petty graft, and banned officials from accepting private gifts, not out of altruism, but to ensure the Company's monopoly on wealth. When he left in 1767, he had built the fiscal skeleton of the British Raj, a system designed to feed London's coffers at Bengal's in England, famine in Bengal (1769–1773) stirred outrage. Critics linked it to the Company's revenue demands, and Clive was twice called before Parliament. Though exonerated in 1773, the inquiries dragged on his health and reputation. Edmund Burke and other MPs painted him as the embodiment of imperial body failed him, too. He suffered from gallstones, dulled the pain with opium, and sank into depression. On 22 November 1774, he was found dead at his home in Berkeley Square. Horace Walpole told the story of the razor. Historic UK later wrote bluntly that he 'committed suicide by cutting his own throat.'Some still call Clive the 'Founder of the British Empire in India.' Others, like historian William Dalrymple, have called him 'a vicious asset-stripper.' The National Army Museum calls him 'a greedy speculator.' Perhaps, as noted in many modern reports, he was both: a man who built the foundations of Britain's Indian empire while filling his own pockets. His life's story is one of conquest without mercy, wealth without pity, and an end as dark as the means by which he rose.
