Cinco De Mayo

• Mexico. But it is not as big of a holiday as people perceive and only some parts of Mexico celebrate it.

• Actually, the US celebrates it more than Mexico does.

• Countries such as Canada, Malta, Australia and the Cayman Islands have their own small Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th.

NO!

After Mexico gained independence from Spain, they struggled with money.

So they got some money from France and England!

But they were not able to pay back their loans to those countries. And France started to ask for it back.

The French Government decided to invade Mexico City since they didn't get their money. But first, they had to go through Puebla (city in Mexico).

The French Army was one of the best in the world! But the city of Puebla defeated them on May 5th before they got to Mexico City. That defeat was the reason for the celebration for cinco de mayo!

The holiday is celebrated in the US because....

In the 50s, President Roosevelt enacted the "Good Neighbor Policy" which wanted to better celebrate other cultures in the US. Under the policy, Cinco de Mayo was added as a national holiday.

The Margarita was invented way after the defeat in Puebla.

Margaritas go back to as early as the year 1938.