On Cinco de Mayo, border isn’t a barrier

May 5, 2008 – 12:27 pm

Since May 5 is not Mexican Independence Day or Mexico’s Day, there are many who will ask themselves: What’s Cinco de Mayo all about?

It is probably best known as the date that gives people an irresistible opportunity to hold a margarita in one hand and a traditional Mexican dish in the other, while listening to the tunes of a tearful mariachi evoking memories of that certain someone who disdained the beating of a love-struck heart. Cinco de Mayo honors an ethnic and cultural legacy.

The parades in Little Village and downtown Chicago blast the senses with an array of multicolored dresses; the television cameras capture the passing of allegorical floats, the pride of striding horsemen and music, lots of music.

But little is said about the fact that on May 5, 1862, a badly trained and poorly equipped Mexican army defeated the French army, considered at the time to be the most powerful in the world, in the Battle of Puebla, a heroic landmark that did not prevent a short-lived French empire in Mexico.

After my first Cinco de Mayo in Chicago, I concluded that it was excessive commotion. A very close American friend politely wished me “Happy Cinco de Mayo.” I must confess that I didn’t know what to say. It was like hearing “Happy birthday,” on just any day, or “Merry Christmas” in May. I was then a recently arrived immigrant and I admit that I did not understand what was going on.

In Mexico, the date is observed by re-enacting the glorious battle, even if the war was lost. A most solemn ceremony is held, in which the president speaks about some futuristic aspect of his government’s agenda, and somehow manages through rhetorical juggling to establish a link between his speech and the date observed. There’s also a dramatization of the Battle of Puebla, with cannon shots, all that knowing that the denouement will favor the Mexicans.

Why was this date adopted by those of Mexican ancestry in the U.S. to celebrate their identity and cultural legacy? For the same reason that the Irish gather on a cold morning around the Chicago River to see it turn green on St. Patrick’s Day; or the reason why the Chinese hold a parade with dragons to celebrate the New Year according to their calendar.

Diversity undoubtedly enriches the U.S., but it also brings out the natural inclination of humans who share cultural affinities to preserve their roots, without implying a rejection or self-exclusion from the “Great American fabric.”

I’ve concluded that the “distortion” that turned the austere Cinco de Mayo ceremony into a celebration of Mexican legacy is a fortunate one. Why? It is more fun to watch the cultural kaleidoscope in Chicago than to listen to boring speeches by politicians where I was born. Cinco de Mayo manages to build a bridge between the recently arrived Mexicans and the Americans of Mexican ancestry. It’s a date that brings together brothers born on different sides of the border.

Source: Chicago Tribune