I read in the paper today that Cinco de Mayo is a much bigger deal in the U.S. of America than it is in the U.S. of Mexico. The Mexicans apparently think we’re a little nuts. (Canadians please refrain from jumping in here with pithy comments.)
Also, if I can hijack my own thread in the OP, does anyone else out there remember the Baja Marimba Band? They were a kind of offshoot of Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass – late 60s early 70s I guess. Good music, clever arrangements, funny album covers. I’ve looked around a bit and they’re not available on CD, AFAIK.
My Spanish is a little weak so I’ll just wish everyone Feliz Navidad!
Here’s it’s just an excuse for a party, not unlike another near-spring, holiday. Few people know what it’s even about (hint: not Mexican idependance day) It falls on the same day of the week as that other holiday and this year we have the double whammy of it being Friday and the day of the cataclysmic, Emmanuel Velikovsky-style-earth-shattering-kaboom, alignment of planets. Party on.
aha can just go eat his heart out. His suck-up act can’t touch this personal Cinco de Mayo note I got from The White House and Bill Clinton.
THE WHITE HOUSE
CINCO DE MAYO, 2000
Warm greetings to everyone celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
This annual celebration of the Mexican Army’s triumph at the Battle of Puebla reminds us all of Mexico’s long-standing commitment to the ideals of freedom and self-determination. United by our common convictions, the United States and Mexico have long enjoyed warm ties of friendship and mutual respect, and in recent years, our two nations have worked hard to cultivate this increasingly close partnership.
From the arts to business to education to the environment, citizens of the United States and Mexico are gaining a greater understanding and a new appreciation of each other, increasing our prospects for a future of peace and prosperity.
We must continue working to open new bridges of friendship and cooperation. This is a promising time for the Americas, and we have an historic opportunity to build our collective economic strength, improve the well-being of our people, and advance the movement toward democracy of all the nations in our hemisphere. As we celebrate Mexico’s valiant fight for independence, let us rededicate ourselves to the principles that inspired the Mexican patriots who fought at Puebla and strive together to forge a brighter future for all our citizens.