The 5th of May is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that celebrates the victory of the Mexican forces at the Battle of Puebla over the invading French on May 5, 1862. A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has been celebrated since the 1860s in California. In the 1950’s and 1960’s it gradually spread through the US, and has become a day for celebrating Mexican culture and heritage among Mexican-Americans.

Similar evolutions have happened with holidays like St. Patrick’s Day for the Irish community or the Kirking of the Tartans for the Scottish, Obon for Japanese or the Chinese New Year and we are seeing similar changes with Holi and others. As new immigrants have come to the US, holidays can both be an affirmation of one’s heritage and an opportunity for finding new ways to celebrate and to share in a new multicultural context.

Bring your (vegetarian) lunch and join us on Cinco de Mayo for a conversation about our holidays- what they say about our origins, our customs, and how they have adapted to new circumstances in the New World.

Please RSVP to rsvp@sivicouncil.org