by G. Sax, @gsax
Happy Cinco de Mayo! It's a day a lot of us folks in the United States choose to celebrate Mexican heritage, much as we've used St. Patrick's Day to embrace Irish heritage. Not coincidentally, big time alcoholic beverages latch on to these holidays each year. Where Jameson and Guinness sales go up in March, Corona and Jose Cuervo sales do well in May.
That's not to say that persons of Mexican and Irish descent are a bunch of drunks. Please don't think me so lame. No, I'm the one who tends to get goofy in cliché-ridden ways along with a lot of dopes just like me. These holidays have taken on a life of their own in this country and in this city. Where O'Gara's benefits on St. Patrick's Day, the Cozy Cantina benefits on Cinco de Mayo.
But in the case of Cinco de Mayo, things go a step further, because the "holiday" doesn't really have widespread support in its own country. It is described on Wikipedia as a "voluntary" holiday.
And although it is often believed that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, akin to France's Bastille Day of July 14, it is not. That date would be September 16, which is a true national holiday in Mexico.
No, Cinco de Mayo commemorates a single victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. They're still pretty proud of this fact in Puebla, so it gets some play there.
And what does any of this have to do with Saint Paul? Very little other than to say that you'll have some extra time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year because Saint Paul's most dedicated celebration of the holiday will actually be held during the weekend following.
District del Sol (a.k.a., St. Paul's West Side) will have plenty of festivities for families and adults alike on Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8. | VISIT THE WEBSITE
This will be my fourth year in a row of tracking my way across the Wabasha Bridge to be part of the Saturday morning parade. I'll start my celebration with a coffee at Grumpy Steve's and finish with a Corona at the Cozy Cantina.
See you there?
