Cinco De Mayo Joins the List of Fastest Growing Holidays

The three fastest growing holidays in terms of number of people celebrating are Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and now Cinco de Mayo. When I was growing up Cinco de Mayo seemed to be just a footnote in the Golden Book Encyclopedia, but now it’s starting to be hug, if you believe the commercials for Jose Cuero and Corona, that is. Some people mistakenly think that May 5th is the Mexican “Day of the Dead” or Dia de los Muertos. The holiday originally was intended to celebrate both children and the deceased. When Christianity arrived, it was moved to October to coincide with All Hallows Eve. Now the holiday is celebrated on the first two days of November instead of the beginning of summer, and this is where the confusion may exist.

Cinco De Mayo actually celebrates the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Seems that Mexico was heavily in debt to the French, who decided to come in the back door through the Gulf of Mexico to collect their money by taking over the country. The Mexican army, though outclassed, resisted and won out in the end. So it looks in reality like it’s a holiday to celebrate sticking it to the bill collectors. Maybe that’s why so much Tequila is consumed.

We all know about green beer and St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween is a bigger and bigger party every year, but here are a few other holidays that you may want to try celebrating if there isn’t enough of them already on your calendar:

The Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the Full Moon 15 days later, so you may have to request some vacation time for this one. You may want to whip out the paper dragon, cat, sheep, rat, horse, or whichever other animal whose picture is on the menu at the Chinese restaurant. To celebrate, try some Baijiu, a clear potent liquor that is made from a variety of sources like sorghum beans, rice, corn, barley wheat, oak, or even peas. And remember the old Chinese saying: “Frequent Drinking Makes Friends Surround.”