Cinco de Mayo Food and Festivities

In the United States, many people know about Cinco de Mayo. Huge crowds cannot wait to start the festivities every May. But few know the really history for this Mexican celebration. The average person in the States will say it has something to do with “the Mexican freedom thing,” that is not the truth. Independence Day for Mexico is the 16th of September.

During the 1950s, the United States had a program called The Good Neighbor Policy that encouraged Americans to reach out to our neighboring countries. Cinco de Mayo was first introduced to Americans at this time. In the 1960s, Chicano activists made the holiday more visible as a method to inspire cultural pride among Mexican-Americans.

By the 1980s, the holiday was slowly catching on. During this decade of commercialism, Cinco de Mayo was advertised as a great holiday to spend drinking the alcoholic beverages made by several American companies. These companies really brought Cinco do Mayo into the mainstream of American culture, although they diluted the true meaning behind it, which was to celebrate the Mexican victory over the French in 1862.

As Cinco de Mayo became more mainstream, more Americans wanted to explore better ways to celebrate. They began researching the Mexican traditions, foods, and music that would make Cinco de Mayo a holiday to anticipate every year.

Today, Cinco de Mayo is a great excuse to really indulge oneself into all things Mexican. Partygoers can dress in traditional bright clothing, decorate their homes with the Mexican flag, sombreros, and chili peppers, and have a lot of fun with the day. Kids learn about the holiday in school and bring home more interesting bits of information to share with their parents.

Some people plan big parties for the 5th of May. It is no longer a holiday just for the Mexican community. People from all ethnic groups join in the fun. Some communities have festivals and parades to help the celebration mood. In some big cities, the celebration has grown to large proportions. Los Angeles, New York and Port Huron, Michigan are sites of very large Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

You can always stay home and celebrate with friends and family. To plan your celebration right, start thinking about how you can cook Cinco de Mayo food, find salsa music and supply fun and colorful decorations. Your private bash can become as fashionable as the community parties thrown around town can.

Cinco de Mayo is a great reason to explore those Mexican recipes you have been curious about. Make some great food for your family to enjoy and share some Mexican culture. Invite your friends to come over and have them bring some snacks.

For those who want to enjoy the nightlife, check out the local Mexican restaurants to see if there is any parties in the works. You can always head out for a delicious meal, drinks, and salsa dancing to commemorate Cinco de Mayo. If you want a more peaceful celebration, cook up some tacos and throw Zorro into the DVD player. There is no rule that says you have to party to celebrate.

If you would like to know more about Mexican food or learn how to making authentic Mexican recipes, you will find lots of interesting facts, information and recipes at MexicanFoodRecipes.org as well as plenty of articles about Mexican food culture and the wonderful spices which give this cuisine its unique flavor along with interesting information like the history of enchiladas.