Celebrate Cinco De Mayo In Oceanside

© Shutterstock Cinco de Mayo celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla de Los Angeles during the Franco-Mexican War.

OCEANSIDE, CA — There are plenty of ways to celebrate Cinco De Mayo in Oceanside, but many locals are not quite sure what they are commemorating over a round of Margarita’s.

Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla de Los Angeles during the Franco-Mexican War. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, a popular misconception. Instead, it commemorates a single battle. Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the of Puebla de Los Angeles. Independence Day in Mexico (Día de la Independencia) is commemorated on September 16, the anniversary of the revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous “Grito de Dolores” (“Cry of Dolores,” referring to the city of Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico), a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war against the Spanish colonial government in 1810.

The battle lasted from daybreak to early evening, and when the French finally retreated they had lost nearly 500 soldiers. Fewer than 100 Mexicans had been killed in the clash. Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s success at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 represented a great symbolic victory for the Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement.

Cinco de Mayo in Mexico

Within Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is primarily observed in the state of Puebla, where Zaragoza’s unlikely victory occurred, although other parts of the country also take part in the celebration. Traditions include military parades, recreations of the Battle of Puebla and other festive events. For many Mexicans, however, May 5 is a day like any other: It is not a federal holiday, so offices, banks and stores remain open.

Here is what most Americans do to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo:

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Learn more about Cinco De Mayo

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