All the bars in Kona and parties across the whole country celebrated Cinco de Mayo last week. Many had no idea why they were partying. Ask almost anyone at a Cinco de Mayo party what they are celebrating and they will raise up their beer mug and shout, “It’s Mexico’s Independence day, their 4th of July!” Sorry, but Cinco de Mayo is not their Independence day, it’s all about a battle called the Battle of Puebla.
All the bars in Kona and parties across the whole country celebrated Cinco de Mayo last week. Many had no idea why they were partying. Ask almost anyone at a Cinco de Mayo party what they are celebrating and they will raise up their beer mug and shout, “It’s Mexico’s Independence day, their 4th of July!” Sorry, but Cinco de Mayo is not their Independence day, it’s all about a battle called the Battle of Puebla.
It was the day a band of Mexicans, outnumbered almost 3 to 1, fought off a greater French force trying to take over Mexico. They sent the Frenchmen running and a cheer went up in the heart of every Mexican. Their country had never won many battles, almost none. It’s not a bad thing to be so peaceful. Excluding the battle at the Alamo, the Mexicans’ one big win, they really never won even a small skirmish. So on May 5, 1863 when they finally won a big battle at Puebla in eastern Mexico it was a really big day. And why would Mexico be fighting the French? It was all about money. In the mid 1800s Mexico borrowed a bunch of money from France. When France wanted their money Mexico couldn’t pay up. So France decided to collect the debt in land -like all the land in the whole country.
Soon after that in May 1863, 6,000 trained French troops landed in eastern Mexico to take over the place. Everyone thought it would be a wipe out and that Mexico would soon be the New France. But El Presidente, Benito Juarez, rallied a ragtag bunch of Mexicans and they stood their ground. A rough- trained 2,000 Mexicanos held off 6,000 French troops and won the day! They felt so good about it they made it a national holiday.
It’s an even bigger holiday here in America. We party every year on the fifth of May. That’s about it, but if anyone is disturbed that they’ve been celebrating the wrong thing all these years, Mexico’s independence day is even more epic.
It happened 50 years before Cinco de Mayo. Much like early America ruled by the British, Mexico was ruled by Spain, and like us, didn’t like it one bit. After so many abuses the people were ready to revolt. One morning on September 16, 1810 a Catholic Priest, Father Ignacio Hidalgo, was giving a sermon in a town in Southern Mexico. On this particular morning he got fired up and started raving about revolting against Spanish rule. He got so carried away that he led the entire congregation out the door, shouting for freedom. The town rallied to the cause and they marched to the next town where a General Ignacio Allende had soldiers. Allende joined Father Hidalgo and the people and they marched on Mexico City, then held by Spain. The Spanish were overwhelmed and Mexico had their own country.
Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16th, their 4th of July. Cinco de Mayo is another reason to celebrate.
Now you know what all the parties are about.
Dennis Gregory writes a bi-monthly column for West Hawaii Today and welcomes your comments at makewavess@yahoo.com
