Fun facts about Cinco de Mayo

Holidays
Cinco de Mayo
Rate this topic

Free. One surprising fact at a time, by email or push. No app needed.

Did you know? If you try to find a giant parade in Mexico City on this day, you will be disappointed, as it is just another standard work day for most citizens.

Fact 1 of 29

29 facts about Cinco de Mayo

  1. 1
    In the United States, more than 80 million pounds of avocados are consumed on this single day, which is enough to fill a football stadium nearly 12 feet deep.
  2. 2
    Many people mistakenly assume that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on September 16th.
  3. 3
    In the city of Puebla, the celebration is so intense that people dress up as French soldiers and then proceed to playfully lose a mock battle every single year.
  4. 4
    General Zaragoza, who led the victory, actually issued a famous order telling his men that the French soldiers were the first soldiers in the world, while his men were the first sons of Mexico.
  5. 5
    The victory boosted the morale of the Mexican people significantly, even though the war against the French continued for several more years.
  6. 6
    Traditional clothing for the holiday often includes colorful dresses for women and charro outfits for men.
  7. 7
    There is an annual chihuahua race held in many U.S. cities specifically for Cinco de Mayo.
  8. 8
    The French intervention in Mexico was a direct attempt by Napoleon III to establish a monarchy in the Americas.
  9. 9
    It is a bit silly that the biggest celebration of a Mexican military victory happens to be in a country that wasn't even involved in the fighting.
  10. 10
    Many believe that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's version of the Fourth of July, but the scale and importance are completely different.
  11. 11
    In Los Angeles, the city holds a massive festival called Fiesta Broadway to celebrate the culture surrounding the date.
  12. 12
    Many historians believe that if the French had won at Puebla, they might have supported the Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War.
  13. 13
    The battle took place at the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe, which are still standing today as a museum and landmark in Puebla.
  14. 14
    General Zaragoza only had about 4,000 soldiers against 6,000 professional French troops, making the win a major underdog story.
  15. 15
    Cinco de Mayo literally translates to Fifth of May in English.
  16. 16
    Some people think the holiday is about Cinco de Mayo being a secret code for an extra-long weekend, but it is just a date on the calendar.
  17. 17
    The holiday was first celebrated in California in 1863 as a way for Mexican-Americans to show solidarity with the cause of freedom.
  18. 18
    Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not a major religious holiday and has no connection to the Catholic calendar.
  19. 19
    The Battle of Puebla was won by General Ignacio Zaragoza, who was actually born in what is now the U.S. state of Texas.
  20. 20
    The victory was short-lived because the French returned with a much larger force a year later and actually captured Mexico City.
  21. 21
    It is quite amusing that the United States celebrates this specific battle more intensely than the people who actually fought it.
  22. 22
    If you go to Puebla on this day, you are more likely to see a military parade and historical reenactments than a party with loud music.
  23. 23
    The French army was considered the best in the world at the time, and their loss at Puebla was a massive embarrassment for Napoleon III.
  24. 24
    Many assume Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday across all of Mexico, but it is actually a minor holiday there.
  25. 25
    The actual holiday in Mexico is primarily observed in the state of Puebla, while the rest of the country barely marks the date at all.
  26. 26
    In the United States, the massive popularity of the holiday was largely driven by a strategic marketing campaign in the 1980s by beer companies to increase sales of Mexican lagers.
  27. 27
    The holiday celebrates a military victory where a small, poorly equipped Mexican army defeated a much larger French force at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
  28. 28
    Many people incorrectly believe that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, but that holiday is actually celebrated on September 16.
Keep exploring

More in Holidays

Christmas Decorations
Rate this topic
Holidays
Christmas Decorations

The first artificial Christmas trees were not made of plastic, but of green-dyed goose feathers attached to wire branches.

Christmas Movies
Rate this topic
Holidays
Christmas Movies

The movie A Christmas Story is set in the 1940s, but it was not filmed in Indiana; the house used for the exterior shots is actually located in Cleveland, Ohio, and is now a museum.

Christmas Trees
Rate this topic
Holidays
Christmas Trees

In the early 1900s, some people were so worried about the fire hazards of real candles on trees that they tried to use slices of raw potatoes as candle holders, hoping the moisture would keep the branches from catching fire.

Earth Day
Rate this topic
Holidays
Earth Day

The first Earth Day in 1970 was so popular that it prompted 20 million Americans to head outside and protest for the environment, which was about 10 percent of the entire United States population at the time.

Easter
Rate this topic
Holidays
Easter

The date of Easter is determined by a complex astronomical calculation called the Computus, which hinges on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.

Elf (movie)
Rate this topic
Holidays
Elf (movie)

The iconic costume worn by Will Ferrell was intentionally designed with a slightly short hemline on the pants to make his long legs look even more awkward and exaggerated while he walked around the city.