Introduction
Sharing borders often means sharing culture and social elements, including events. The United States and Mexico may differ in political and economic perspectives. However, cultural aspects between the two countries often overlap as they share a similar colonial past. One event in the USA and Mexico is the Cinco De Mayo, a holiday celebrated on May 5. Interestingly, the holiday is Mexican, but Americans indulge in it more than Mexicans. “Cinco De Mayo has roots in Mexico, but it’s more widely celebrated in the US” (Mone).
As a Mexican cultural event, it is expected to be bigger and livelier in Mexico. Many often question how Cinco De Mayo became more popular in the U.S. than in Mexico. A simplified response to this question would be that the same event is celebrated differently between the two countries. Additionally, the meaning of the holiday differs between Mexico and the USA. While Cinco De Mayo celebrations in Mexico and the United States are similar, the most notable difference is that Americans party while Mexicans commemorate significant historical and cultural events.
Discussion
Cinco De Mayo is considered more popular in the United States than in Mexico. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the holiday is heavily celebrated in regions with substantial Mexican-American populations. Americans celebrate the holiday through parades, Mexican folk dances, authentic Mexican cuisine, and mariachi music throughout the country (Borof and Shkurtaj). Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago are some of the areas that host the largest Cinco De Mayo festivals (Borof and Shkurtaj).
On the contrary, the holiday is considered less popular in Mexico because it does not attract the same nationwide enthusiasm as it does in the United States. The parties in Mexico are significantly smaller, apart from in Puebla de Los Angeles, where it is primarily celebrated (Mone). Across Mexico, some children may get off school to join the celebrations. Since it is not a federal holiday, Cinco De Mayo is not accompanied by days off work or school (Mone). Therefore, Cinco De Mayo attracts more enthusiasts in the United States than in Mexico despite the event’s roots in Mexico.
The United States often treats Cinco De Mayo as a partying rather than a commemoration event. As a result, critics in the country highlight that Americans fail to acknowledge the real essence of the event and disregard the Mexican history and culture associated with it (Avery). This observation may explain why many Americans assume Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day. To critics, Cinco De Mayo is merely an excuse for Americans to drink and party. Even though Mexican music, dance, and traditional food often mark the celebrations in the United States, many Americans fail to understand the event’s meaning.
In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo revolves around Mexico’s military victory over France in the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 (Parogni). Mexico was facing a financial crisis and defaulted on many European loans. Apart from France, many countries withdrew militaries as Napoleon III sent 6000 French troops to Puebla. Despite being outnumbered, France lost 500 soldiers while Mexico only lost 100 (Parogni). Cinco de Mayo is more than just a day for drinking and partying; it commemorates the 1862 war.
Cinco De Mayo is highly commercialized in the U.S., arguably because of the lack of consideration for the event’s cultural roots. The holiday started as a celebration of Mexican heritage but soon evolved into an event where anyone could participate (Mone). The result of such an evolution was that many non-Mexican Americans perceived it as an opportunity to party, drink, and enjoy Mexican food.
However, the most outstanding consequence of the evolution is that Cinco De Mayo has become highly commercialized (Mone). For example, businesses started to market specific products around the holidays, especially those selling alcohol. The holiday also attracted sponsors as the events are often televised or receive one form of dissemination or another – airtime makes the events ideal for brands to market themselves.
In comparison, Cinco De Mayo in Mexico is strictly cultural and historical, meaning it receives no commercialization. The Mexicans have continued Cinco De Mayo’s customs, including dancing, mariachi bands, colorful costumes, and fireworks (Mone). Eating, drinking, and partying are absent, which explains why it is difficult to commercialize the event in Mexico.
Conclusion
Therefore, Cinco De Mayo is one of the many cultural events that connect the United States with Mexico. However, comparing events in these two countries reveals stark differences. The event emanated from Mexico as a military celebration of the Battle of Puebla in 1861, fought against the French. Mexican-American immigrants started celebrating the event in the United States, after which the holiday became popular.
Today, Cinco De Mayo’s popularity in the US is more significant than in Mexico. Celebrated nationwide, Cinco De Mayo attracts all people, even those with no Mexican roots. Its popularity is evident by the size of the events, especially in locations with a high representation of Mexican ethnicity. On the contrary, the main event in Mexico is in Puebla, and only small celebrations occur in other parts. Drinking and partying mean the event is highly commercialized in the United States, while Mexicans stick to the historical and cultural significance of Cinco De Mayo.
Works Cited
Avery, Dan. “What Americans Need to Know About Cinco de Mayo.” 2022. CNET. Web.
Borof, David and Tereza Shkurtaj. “Party Day: How does America celebrate Cinco de Mayo?” 2022. The U.S. Sun. Web.
Mone, Brianna. “10 Ways Cinco de Mayo is Celebrated Differently in the U.S. and Mexico.”. 2019. Business Insider. Web.
—. “9 ways Cinco de Mayo is celebrated differently in the US and Mexico.” 2022. Insider. Web.
Parogni, Illaria. “The History of Cinco de Mayo and How It’s Celebrated.” 2022. The New York Times. Web.