Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexican army’s victory over French at Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862
Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday to commemorate the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, El Paso Times reported.
The report revealed that the battle on the outskirts of Puebla saw the Mexican army defeat French troops sent into Mexico under Napolean’s rule.
This battle was one of the few victories for the Mexican army during the five-year occupation from 1862 to 1867.
“They lost a bunch of battles in those five years, but the one battle that they did win occurred on May 5, and that’s why it’s remembered in Mexico today, but especially in the area of Puebla. That’s where most of the national festivities take place,” said Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University.
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States and Mexico, but it is a much more significant observance in the US as people think it is Mexico’s Independence Day, which is false because it is celebrated on September 16.
Cinco de Mayo is heavily commercialised in the US, particularly by the food and beverage industries, which promote it as a day to enjoy Mexican food and drinks.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, the day is observed with military parades, battle reenactments and other events in Puebla.
 In other parts of Mexico, it is not as widely celebrated.
“Historians have shown Mexican communities living in the United States in the 1860s following the news of a French invasion of Mexico with great interest, and after the Mexican military victory on May Fifth, there was a lot of enthusiasm and pride in Mexican communities in the United States,” Aviña said.
