Cinco de Mayo is an extremely popular holiday in the United States. People get together to have “Mexican-themed” parties, usually involving tacos or other Mexican foods, mariachi or banda music, and, most or all, alcohol, especially margaritas, beers imported from Mexico, and tequila. However, many Americans don’t know what Cinco de Mayo even celebrates.

A common misconception is that the holiday is celebrating Mexican Independence. I’m not sure how this misconception began, but I can understand how many Americans compare the holiday to our Fourth of July and assume they are celebrating the same thing. The thing is – Mexican Independence Day is actually on September 12th. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla and the Mexican victory over the French.

In 1861, Napoleon III invaded Mexico after Mexico was forced to default on loans from several European countries during bad financial times in the country. Napoleon wanted to use the opportunity to take control of Mexico as a territory. The French forces greatly outnumbered the Mexican forces, which forced them to retreat from Juarez, the site of the invasion, to Puebla. However, the Mexican army managed to defeat the larger French army at the Battle of Puebla on the 5th of May. France had three times the men but suffered five times the number of casualties.

This battle did not end the war. France didn’t leave Mexico until 1867, when a combination of factors such as a need to focus on fights on the European front and pressure from the United States forces them to remove troops from Mexico. What the Battle of Puebla did accomplish is delay the French invasion of the capital as well as becoming a symbolic victory.

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not a very large holiday. In Puebla, people celebrate the victory with military re-enactments, and there are a few other celebrations throughout the country, but it is not as big of a deal as it is in the United States. Independence Day is much more widely celebrated, as it marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. On the evening of September 15th, the Mexican president rings the Bell of Hidalgo and recites the Grito de Dolores. This is a re-enactment of the call for independence that Miguel Hidalgo recited to call for the beginning of the war. That night and the following day, there are fireworks shows, parades, and many other festivities.

In the United States, the widespread celebration of Cinco de Mayo rather than Independence Day began with Mexican-American activists who identified with the victory of the Mexican army over French forces. From there, it has became a holiday to celebrate Mexican culture and Mexican-Americans across the United States. Festivals, parades, and parties are held to preserve Mexican culture in America.

Although it is a common topic of discussion of whether Cinco de Mayo is a worthy holiday to celebrate since it is not a large holiday in Mexico, I think that celebrations that avoid commercialization and objectification are valuable. In today’s world, where Mexican-Americans and all Hispanic Americans are being targeted by the government and immigration forces, it is more important than ever to lift up the culture that is distinctly Mexican-American and has been a cornerstone in American culture for a long time. Both immigrants and Mexican-Americans who have lived in the United States for generations (even since Texas and other formerly Mexican or Spanish territories joined the U.S.) bring something valuable to the country and should be celebrated and protected.