U.S. Cinco de Mayo Celebrations Surpass Those in Mexico

Thursday marks Cinco de Mayo — a Mexican-rooted celebration that doesn't get nearly as much hype in its native country as it receives in the United States.

"It can really go unnoticed, actually," said Paloma Martinez-Cruz, assistant professor of Spanish at . "It has a limited impact in Mexico because the day itself is not Mexican Independence Day."

Mexican Independence Day actually is Sept. 15, said Martinez-Cruz, who comes from a Mexican and Puerto Rican family. She lived in Mexico from 1993 to 1994 while attending school.

Cinco de Mayo, or May 5, marks the anniversary of Mexico's "unlikely victory" over the French forces in 1862, she said. The fight, known as the Battle of Puebla, represented a significant morale boost to the Mexican army and the people at large during the French invasion of Mexico that began in 1861.

The victory is primarily celebrated in the city of Puebla, which is about 60 miles southeast of Mexico City.

"When I was living in Mexico City, you couldn't tell it was Cinco de Mayo," Martinez-Cruz said. "Here in the U.S., Cinco de Mayo receives more attention than Independence Day. It's the reverse of what happens there. It ends up kind of being a national holiday here and it's not a national holiday there; only where the battle occurred is it an actual observation."

Margaritas, happy hours and parades are held in the U.S. to mark the holiday. But Martinez-Cruz equates Cinco de Mayo festivities in Mexico to Casimir Pulaski Day in the U.S.

"I compare the way Casimir Pulaski Day is observed in Illinois to how Cinco de Mayo is observed in Puebla," she said. "No one outside of Puebla really pays attention and people not living here don't know who Casimir Pulaski is."

Over the years, Cinco de Mayo has turned into a "St. Patrick's Day-like party," she said, with a laugh. Even though it can be disappointing that so many people believe it marks the date of Mexican independence, celebrating it can be a positive thing, she said.

"Anything that can make people have cultural celebration is good," she said. "I would just hope they take the time to learn the meaning and develop an appreciation for the history that's there."