Cinco de Mayo Custom

Date of Celebration: May 5, 2008

Cinco de Mayo, is celebrated because when the French were on their way to Mexico City they met up at Forts Loreto and Guadalupe where the Mexican army gave them a good fight. The French army of 2,500 people outnumbered the Mexicans but the Mexican army won anyway. This is why "Cinco de Mayo" is celebrated as a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. It is an occasion which Mexicans and Americans share to emphasize the friendship between their two countries.

Cinco de Mayo, is a regional holiday to Mexico, celebrated mostly in the state of Puebla. Even during the short period of French rule, the Mexicans celebrated Cinco de Mayo. They changed the name of the town where the French were defeated to Puebla de Zaragoza. The way of life in Mexico includes many features from the nation's long Indian past and the Spanish colonial period. But Mexico has changed rapidly during the 1900's. In many ways, life in its larger cities has become similar to that in the neighboring United States. Mexican villagers follow the older way of life more than the city people do. Even in the villages, however, government economic and educational programs are doing much to modernize the people's lives. These programs are bringing the Indian villagers into the general life of Mexico and making them think of themselves as Mexicans rather than Indians.