Cinco De Mayo Research Paper

In Mexico, fiestas occur frequently throughout the year as a custom. Mexicans gather on these holidays to eat dance,take part in parades, and remember historic or religious events. Mexican Independence Day celebrates the separation of the country from Spain on September 16, 1810. Another famous celebration is Day of the Dead which is celebrated on the first of November. Although it may sound scary, this celebration is a cheerful time of remembering friends and family members who have died.

Hispanic heritage is an important concept that surrounds my entire life. I have lived in Colombia until I turned fourteen years old. Colombia is a beautiful country in South America and consist of mostly Hispanic individuals. This culture has been important in my life because it helps define who I am and how I view the world. It was not until I moved to the United States that I began to become more aware of different ethnic groups. I grew up in a city where everyone was the same, looked the same and had the same cultural behaviors in our country.

I am going to tell you about a famous, yet kinda eerie celebration that takes place in mexico. This is a tradition celebrated by the Mexican Natives, most Mexican Americans (including myself) don’t even acknowledge this day, unless they happen to be visiting mexico at the time of this event.

Holidays are an important part of Latino culture, some holidays relate to the religious, while others relate to anniversaries of major battles in Mexican history. All the major catholic holidays are celebrated by Latinos such as Christmas, Lent and Easter as well as the Catholic rites of passage Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation.

Cinco de Mayo means the fifth of May. It is not an independence day for Mexico like most unknowledgeable people think. Mexican Independence Day is celebrated on the 15th of September. Mexico declared independence from Spain on the 24th of August 1821. Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday either. Mexico and the United States savor this holiday because it is the day where Mexican peasants/ commoners defeated the French and Mexican traitor army that double them in size in Puebla, Mexico one hundred miles away from Mexico city on the 5th of May, 1862.

Mexican culture celebrates their independence with a holiday and fireworks on Cinco de Mayo. The American ritual for independence is celebrated on July 4th also with a holiday and fireworks. Another ritual that is participated in annually by both Mexican and American cultures is the celebration of Christmas. Gift giving is a common ritual during the Christmas season. There are also some very unique rituals specific to each culture. For starters, one the most distinctive rituals in all of the World takes place in the Mexican culture, Dia de Los Muertos. Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration with masks like skulls and dancing honoring late ancestors. Another ritual specific to the Mexican culture is the holiday recognizing the Lady of the Guadalupe. The ritual feast remembers the sightings of her near present day Mexico City. American culture also contains some unique rituals. A very patriotic ritual takes place in the grade school class everyday; it is called the Pledge of Allegiance. This ritual instills patriotic values as well as teaching loyalty to thy nation. Thanksgiving is another example of a ritual not in Mexican culture that is in American culture.

As stated in Pew Research Center, National Heritage Month started in 1968 by congress as a Hispanic Heritage week, it was expanded to a month in 1988. (Krogstad) Twenty-eight years later we still have this cultural practice that in a sense is an interpretation of the original cultures we had back at home. It is not called Mexican Heritage Month or Salvadorian Heritage Month. It is called Hispanic because they put all the Latin American traditions, culture, and countries together and said this is their month, and they must share it. Although it seems unfair for some people because they do not like being entered in the whole category as a Hispanic or Latino, we need to look at the positive side. Since this is how we learn from other people and how we get to know different smells and flavors. We are being recognized and celebrated by other people as well here in the United States. Yes, we left back home so many things, but we brought with us one thing more important than anything; our identity which is the one blending in with other cultures and creating a new

Marchi reminds her readers that just like in Mexico, Mexican-Americans also go to local cemetries on the Day of the Dead and take care of the family gave sites. However, Marchi continues that the celebration of this day may be more than just a regular family celebration but also “a way to challenge conventional ideas of what it meant to be an American” (Marchi 2009). Again, Mexicans are trying to reenforce their national identity wherever they go and celebrating the Day of the Dead is just another way to do so. Marchi concludes that while other minority groups are fighting for recognition and equality, Chicanos were also just doing the same to keep the culture alive.

While Cinco de Mayo is an important holiday for those living in Puebla, it is also a major event for the millions of Mexican-Americans living in the United States. Although practically every part of the United States celebrates Cinco de Mayo in some form or the other, the Southwestern regions of America are home to the largest celebrations of Cinco de Mayo. In cities such as Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, and San Antonio, a large proportion of the population has Mexican origins. Many people hang up banners advocating these special holiday, and school districts organize lessons and special events to educate their pupils about the culture of Americans of Mexican

Next, in Mexico, Cinco De Mayo is observed in Puebla where General Zaragoza triumphed to victory (Staff, 2009). In addition, there are many celebrations in other parts of the country (Staff, 2009). Mexican tradition for Cinco De Mayo includes a parade, but it is a military parade (Staff, 2009). They also, do a recreation of the Battle of Puebla and other events (Staff, 2009). May 5th in this country, however is like any other day and banks and stores remain in operation (Staff,

Therefore, she did not require the purification process of baptism. This holiday is usually celebrated by Holy Mass, parades, fireworks, processions, ethnic foods, and Spanish cultural festivities. This day is also generally considered a “family day” to be spent at home with your loved ones.

Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up it is a great topic to talk about on your podcast or even a feature on your “Eats beat”.

Cruces de mayo festival: The famous festival called Cruces de Mayo in the city of Granada. In May, The people decorates their streets, squares and houses with flowers. All ladies wear Flamenco dresses and the men wear shorts, and "upon the arrival of the cross" guests can enjoy beer and the best folkloric dance with music. People enjoy some delicious tapas accompanied by a good local wine

As I now celebrate Halloween in America, going out and dressing up, I don’t forget about “el Dia de los Muertos”, although I am not in Mexico I have brought the celebration back home, I pray for my great grandparents and other late family members and friends. I try to incorporate both cultures in my life and I have realized that I am creating my own traditions with combining

One depiction of Mexican holidays shaping the city of Los Angeles into a Latino city can be seen in the Mexican holiday El Dia del Los Muertos. For instance, Mexicans believe in the concept of death not being the end of a person’s life as Paz