For me and most of the American population the 5th of May mostly means eating Mexican food and having some margaritas. I would gather that the vast majority of us have no idea really what the day signifies. I only know that it has some important historical context since most holidays are the case.
I said “Happy Cinco de Mayo” to my Mexican friend and she said that it isn’t a big deal in Mexico, but that it’s American or Mexican-American, she corrected. I thought this was interesting, because it must be Mexican or we wouldn’t celebrate it in such a way.
So, I did a quick Google search (thanks, Google!) and found this interesting link confirming both my friend’s sentiments and my own.
The conclusion is that like most holidays, they are more about the commercial side of things than a true understanding of what it means. With that said, I would definitely not mind having myself a couple of margaritas and eating a big ol’ burrito! π
-T π
