{"id":41280,"date":"2021-04-08T09:16:45","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T16:16:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/?p=41280"},"modified":"2021-04-08T09:17:57","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T16:17:57","slug":"cinco-de-mayo-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/cinco-de-mayo-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Origin of Cinco de Mayo and How to Celebrate It With Creative Designs"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know when Cinco de Mayo is, but not a lot of people know why it\u2019s celebrated. Oftentimes it is seen as a day to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage. While that is partially true, it isn\u2019t the whole story. We\u2019re going to give you all of the facts about the origin of Cinco de Mayo then show you how to commemorate the day with creative designs. What are you waiting for? Let\u2019s dive right in!<\/span><\/p>\n

When and Who Celebrates Cinco de Mayo?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There is often some confusion around <\/span>who celebrates Cinco de Mayo<\/span>. It might be surprising to learn that in Mexico, the 5th of May is a small celebration and it\u2019s actually more popularly celebrated in the US. While Cinco de Mayo is commonly mistaken as Mexico\u2019s Independence Day, their actual Independence Day is on September 16th.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Mexico, students often get Cinco de Mayo as a day off from school, but other than that, the day tends to be business as usual. The city of Puebla hosts a military parade and a mock battle is staged to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, the event that gave rise to the holiday. The over-the-top celebration common in the US is actually largely due to marketing. People in the US gather together to celebrate with Tex-Mex cuisine and margaritas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Origin of Cinco de Mayo<\/span><\/h2>\n

As mentioned earlier, Cinco de Mayo is commonly mistaken as Mexico\u2019s Independence Day. But the origins of Cinco de Mayo are far from that! The story behind <\/span>Cinco de Mayo\u2019s origin<\/span> actually stems from the Battle of Puebla. This battle took place in Mexico in 1862 during the Civil War in the United States. While the US was distracted by fighting on their own ground, the French took advantage of this time to attempt to establish a second Mexican empire. The plan was led by Emperor Napoleon III who was eager to secure an outpost in the New World that would serve to help offset the French land sold to Thomas Jefferson under the Louisiana Purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Napoleon sent French troops to Mexico City, but they were defeated before they even arrived there. Ignacio Zaragoza, a young Mexican general, managed to stop the French troops as they were passing through Puebla on their journey. Interestingly enough, some historians view the Mexican defeat of the invading French army as crucial to the outcome of the US Civil War, as Napoleon wanted to use the Puebla area as a military base to support the Confederate army.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cinco de Mayo was first celebrated in the United States in 1863 in Southern California as a show of solidarity with Mexico against French rule. The celebrations continued annually, but in 1930 the context began to shift into more of a celebration of Mexican culture and identity rather than commemorating the Battle of Puebla.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interesting Facts About Cinco de Mayo<\/span><\/h2>\n