CINCO DE MAYO TRIPLE HEADER

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5.
It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).

The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is actually celebrated on September 16.
USA: History of observance (Wikipedia)

Mexicans and Latinos living in California during the American Civil War are credited with being the first to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the United States.

According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in California in the 1860s in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. "Far up in the gold country town of Columbia (now Columbia State Park) Mexican miners were so overjoyed at the news that they spontaneously fired off rifles shots and fireworks, sang patriotic songs and made impromptu speeches."

A 2007 UCLA Newsroom article notes that "The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico." TIME magazine reports that "Cinco de Mayo started to come into vogue in 1940s America during the rise of the Chicano movement." United Press International reports that "The holiday crossed over into the United States in the 1950s and 1960s but didn't gain popularity until the 1980s when marketers, especially beer companies, capitalized on the celebratory nature of the day and began to promote it."

NOW, The Truth About Cinco De Mayo
Hellmann's Mayonnaise - a bit of history.

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.

This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who had developed a real taste for mayonnaise to the point of being crazy for the taste and were eagerly awaiting its delivery; and upon hearing the bad news became disconsolate at the loss.

Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as - Sinko De Mayo.

WHAT? You expected something educational from me?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
By IMAO's Frank J.

Today is Cinco de Mayo! It celebrates how on May 5th, 1756, some French guy (probably named Pierre) invented mayonnaise. It is an important day for Mexicans living in America since early on Mexicans worshipped a jar of mayo as a god and it helped Mexico prosper.

The traditional Cinco de Mayo celebration is to buy a large jar of mayo and a couple cases of Corona and then drink and drink the Corona until you think you hear the jar of mayo talking to you. Traditionally, it is believed that whatever the mayo tells you will come true in the next year, though in practice the mayo often lies.

It is illegal to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Arizona, due to a long ban on mayo in the state. Anyone seen illegally possessing mayo will automatically be deported to Mexico on a first offense, Venezuela on a second offense, and Detroit on a third. This often gets Arizona compared to the Nazis because of an urban legend about the Nazis hunting down jars of mayo as a Jew-collaborator, though in reality Hitler put on mayo on everything.

Everything.

Plus, Hitler was a Mexican. That's why early depictions of him before WWII often showed him wearing a sombrero.
So have a fun and safe Cinco de Mayo! The usual rule applies: If the mayo tell you to hurt yourself or others, don't listen to it.

Borrowed From IMAO
FUN FACTS ABOUT MEXICO

* Mexico declared its independence from Spain on September 16th, 1810. This should not be confused with the first Cinco de Mayo of May 5th 1862, which marked Mexico's victory over the French Army. Every day is Cinco de Mayo somewhere in the world.

* In absolute numbers, Mexico has more native Spanish-speakers than anywhere else in the world. Percentage-wise, the winner is any given Home Depot parking lot.

* The Chihuahua dog breed was developed in 1850 in Mexico. Purebred Chihuahuas are quite rare and VERY expensive. If you can't afford one, a shaved rat is pretty much the same thing.

* In the 16th century, Mexicans used poinsettia leaves for medicinal purposes, including to help control fevers. In modern times, they mostly use hospitals in Los Angeles.

* The national sport of Mexico is bull-fighting – where a pretty man prances around while cruelly butchering an innocent animal. Sorta like American Idol, except with bulls instead of pop music.

* Mexico is made up of 31 states. 38 if Obama is counting.

* The three colors of Mexico's flag hold deep symbolism: green is for hope and victory, red is for the blood shed by the nation's heroes, and white is for the nation's vibrant cocaine export industry.

* Mexico City is the second-largest city in the world, with a population of 25million, all of whom share a single car and apartment.

* The border between Mexico and the United States is thought to be second-longest in the world – after the border between the United States and Canada – although no one can say for sure, since it's been completely obscured by footprints.
All of which, mysteriously, point north, leading scientists to speculate that Mexicans are made out of some sort of magnetic material.

* Because Mexico is located in an area known as the Pacific "Ring of Fire."the region is rife with millions of small, active volcanoes. These are harvested annually and sold under the name Habanero.

* Tequila, the liquor for which Mexico is famous, is made from the native blue agave plant. It's named after the city where it originated, and not – as American overindulgers often claim – a Mexicanized pronunciation of "to kill ya".

* 90% of Mexicans are Roman Catholic, which is why they tend to see the Virgin Mary in their tortillas instead of Barack Obama like normal people.

* Mexico has seven hundred and seven species of reptiles. Which one is in that taco is anyone's guess.

* Chocolate was invented in Mexico as a sacred drink for the Aztecs. The original recipe contained no milk or sugar, leaving it a dark, bitter, unpleasant mess which few could stomach without retching. Think of it as Michelle Obama in a cup.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go shave me up a Chihuahua.