What is Cinco de Mayo?

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Roberta Atkinson
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1 What is Cinco de Mayo? Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Puebla in Mexico and in many US cities with large Mexican populations. It began as a regional celebration of the defeat of the French Army by Mexican soldiers at the battle of Puebla in In 1861 Mexico declared that it was suspending payment on all its foreign debt for two years. Even though President Juarez had said payments would resume in 1863, Great Britain, France and Spain were not satisfied. Eventually the British and Spanish backed off, but France, under the rule of Emporer Napoleon III, insisted on using force to secure its debt payments. As the French Army, led by General Charles de Lorencez, was marching toward Mexico City it encountered stiff resistance. On May 5, 1862, General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated Napoleon s Army in the Battle of Puebla. It was a victory against all odds and on 9 May 1862, President Juarez declared the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla to be a national holiday, known as Battle of Puebla Day or Battle of Cinco de Mayo. Today, the anniversay of the Battle of Puebla, or Cinco de Mayo is still a big celebration in Puebla and in Mexico City, with parades, fiestas and fireworks, but for the rest of Mexico the anniversary is no longer so widely celebrated. Cinco de Mayo is, however, a major celebration in the United States. Some believe this is because the battle marked a change in the relationship between the United States and Mexico. The theory is that from Mexico, Napoleon wanted to aid the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. This would have meant a longer, bloodier war. At that time, the French Army was the greatest military force on the globe so the victory was a huge achievement for the Mexican Army. In 2012 President Obama declared the celebration of Cinco de Mayo as an opportunity to pay tribute to our shared heritage and our future partnership.

2 How do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Whether or not you are of Mexican heritage, Cinco de Mayo is a chance to celebrate all things Mexican! From wonderful food to colorful traditions, crafts and music, it s a time to party! Mexican food & drink Mole Poblano is traditionally served on Cinco de Mayo and legend has it that the dish originates from Puebla. The story goes that two nuns were surprised by a visitor. Not being cooks they took a mortar and pestle and ground together all the ingredients that they could find - tomatoes, chocolate and chillies and then simmered the mix until it thickened into a sauce, now known as Mole. Traditional paper crafts There is a rich Mexican tradition of paper crafting. Pinatas, papel picado banderines (paper cut out garlands) and paper flowers are important in the festivities of Cinco de Mayo. * A battle re-enactment The battle of Cinco de Mayo has been re-enacted since the 1930s in Puebla and Mexico City. Men dress as Mexican and French soldiers and generals, women dress as soldaderas, who as well as cooking and looking after the soldiers, fight alongside them. * We ve put together video tutorials on our website happythought.co.uk, showing you how to make your own mexican paper flowers or papel picado garlands made from crepe paper.

3 A map of Mexico U.S.A. Gulf of California Monterrey Mexico Gulf of Mexico Havana Guadalajara Pacific Ocean Mexico City Puebla Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua 1. Color in Mexico on the map above. 2. What is the capital city of Mexico? 3. Circle Puebla on the map. 4. Which two countries border with Mexico? 5. Which two bodies of water surround Mexico?

4 Find the missing words: piñata Cinco de Mayo in English means. The Battle of (Puebla) took place on the,1862. The Mexican army was headed by General Ignacio. People in Mexico and many parts of the United States of America celebrate with a. Cinco de Mayo remembers the defeat of the invading army by the Mexican army. of the USA. is a part of North America and is located south The people of Mexico speak. A is a decorated container filled with candies that is hung up at parties or celebrations. Mole Poblano is traditionally served on Cinco de Mayo and contains tomatoes, and chillies.

5 Crossword puzzle 1 2 Puebla battle piñata Mexico Zaragoza Clues 1. On May 5th, Mexico defeated the French Army at the Battle of The leader of the Mexican Army was General What is the number five in Spanish? 4. A decorated container filled with candies that is hung up at parties or celebrations. 5. On Cinco de Mayo the French and Mexican armies fought in the... of Puebla. 6. Which country is Puebla in?

6 Word search R C E L E B R A T E J D A F E C E K E P D ZMA A H J PWF F Y G F VM V G X P P A AWY R G U T I C Y R A H Z V T E R E B E R Y O HD E G U R E X R D VW A E Z F SW H U I C P Y MEXICO FIESTA CINCO CELEBRATE V Z T X K F I E S T A H P T S J Z V G T B G P I R H X V R Y U S O C O P Y B A T D P L T G YMN X E N Z C V O R Y P U E BANDERA MAYO BATTLE PARTY B D E GQ A T T L E N V D J Y D X MU X E X TWG R N RWZ AWN C A E J S K R DH P R A I U A OG C I N C O X R I X Z P G S H A N T HD C B L A O I VICTORY SPANISH ZARAGOZA PUEBLA

7 The Mexican Flag The Mexican flag consists of three vertical bands in green, white and red, with the Mexican coat of arms (an eagle on a prickly pear cactus with a snake in its beak and talons) in the center of the white.

Cinco De Mayo. History of Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo. History of Cinco De Mayo Cinco De Mayo Cinco de Mayo translated to English means The Fifth of May. It marks the anniversary of the Mexican army s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867).