The Facts and History of Cinco de Mayo

The Facts and History of Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo is probably one of the most celebrated and least understood holidays in the world.  What is the meaning behind it? How is it celebrated and what does it mean to Mexicans? There are many misconceptions about Cinco de Mayo and it is more than an excuse to have some nachos and a margarita or two. Its also not a celebration of Mexicos independence as many people think. It is an important day in Mexican history and the holiday has true meaning and importance. Lets get the facts straight about Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo Meaning and History Literally meaning The Fifth of May, Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Holiday celebrating the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862. It was one of the few Mexican victories during Frances attempt to penetrate Mexico. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first time that France attacked Mexico.  Back in 1838 and 1839, Mexico and France had fought what was known as  the Pastry War.  During that conflict, France invaded and occupied the city of Veracruz.   In 1861, France sent a massive army to invade Mexico once again. As was the case 20 years earlier, the intent was to collect on debts incurred during and after Mexicos war of independence from Spain. The French army was much larger and better trained and equipped than the Mexicans struggling to defend the road to Mexico City. It rolled through Mexico until it reached Puebla, where the Mexicans made a valiant stand. Against all logic, they won a huge victory. The triumph was short-lived, however. The French army regrouped and continued on, eventually taking Mexico City.   In 1864, the French brought in  Maximilian of Austria. The man who would become Emperor of Mexico was a young European nobleman who barely spoke Spanish. Maximilians heart was in the right place, but most Mexicans did not want him. In 1867, he was overthrown and executed by forces loyal to President Benito Juarez. Despite this turn of events, the euphoria of the unlikely victory at the Battle of Puebla against overwhelming odds is remembered every May 5th. Cinco de Mayo Led to a Dictator During the Battle of Puebla, a young officer named  Porfirio Diaz  distinguished himself. Diaz subsequently rose rapidly through the military ranks as an officer and then as a politician. He even aiding Juarez in the fight against Maximillian. In 1876, Diaz reached the presidency and did not leave until the  Mexican Revolution  kicked him out in 1911 after a  rule of 35 years.  Diaz remains one of the most important presidents in the history of Mexico, and he got his start on the original  Cinco de Mayo. Isn’t It Mexico’s Independence Day? Another common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexicos Independence Day. In actuality, Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain on September 16. It  is a very important holiday in the country and not to be confused with Cinco de Mayo. It was on September 16, 1810, that  Father Miguel Hidalgo took to his pulpit in the village church of the town of Dolores. He  invited his flock to take up arms and join him in overthrowing Spanish tyranny. This famous speech would be celebrated as the  Grito de Dolores, or The Cry of Dolores, from then on. How Big ofa Deal Is Cinco de Mayo? Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in Puebla, where the famous battle took place. However, it really isnt as important as most people think. Independence Day on September 16 has much more significance in Mexico. For some reason, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States- by Mexicans and Americans alike- than it is in Mexico. There is one theory for why this is true. At one time, Cinco de Mayo was widely celebrated in all of Mexico and by Mexicans living in former Mexican territories such as Texas and California. After a while, it was ignored in Mexico but the celebrations continued north of the border where people never got out of the habit of remembering the famous battle. Its interesting to note that the largest Cinco de Mayo party takes place in Los Angeles, California.  Every year, the people of Los Angeles celebrate â€Å"Festival de Fiesta Broadway† on May 5th (or on the closest Sunday). It’s a large, raucous party with parades, food, dancing, music, and more. Hundreds of thousands attend annually.  It’s even bigger than the festivities in Puebla. Cinco de Mayo Celebration In Puebla and in many U.S. cities with large Mexican populations, there are parades, dancing, and festivals. Traditional Mexican food is served or sold. Mariachi bands fill town squares and a lot of Dos Equis and Corona beers are served. It’s a fun holiday, really more about celebrating the Mexican way of life than about remembering a battle which happened over 150 years ago. It is sometimes referred to as a â€Å"Mexican St. Patrick’s Day.† In the U.S., schoolchildren do units on the holiday, decorate their classrooms, and try their hand at cooking some basic Mexican foods. All over the world, Mexican restaurants bring in Mariachi bands and offer specials for what’s almost certain to be a packed house.​ It’s easy to host a Cinco de Mayo party. Making basic Mexican food like salsa and burritos is not too complicated. Add some decorations and mix up a few margaritas and you’re good to go.

Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story

Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story By Guest Author This is a guest post by Charles A. Ray. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Dialogue can make or break your short story or novel. No matter how good the plot or subject line, poorly-written dialogue can turn a reader off quicker than anything. I recently read a draft novel manuscript that had a fascinating premise, a compelling story line, and conflict aplenty. I was, nonetheless, completely turned off because every character in the story sounded exactly alike. They all used the same stilted Shakespearean speech, and sounded as if they were reading from Hamlet. Even a street smart black activist student, who was portrayed as aggressive and racially sensitive, talked as if he was the villain from Othello. This is not to suggest that the character should have been lampooned, or that his dialogue should have been a parody of ‘Amos and Andy’ or ‘Shaft.’ But, the character would have been more credible and believable if the dialogue had been less formal, with more use of modern slang, instead of the formal speech that was employed. The only slang word this character used in the first chapter, in over a half page of dialogue, was the word ‘ofay,’ which was inserted in a formal sentence, making it stand out like a pimple on prom night; and it was as unwelcome and out of place as a pimple. Reading the passage, which described his encounter with his professor, I had difficulty telling which of them was speaking without looking at the tags, or going back to see who spoke last. This was clearly a case of poor dialogue ruining an otherwise good story. A more effective technique is to give each character a distinctive voice; either through the words they use, or some other action that belongs to that character and that character alone. Dialogue should be written so that the reader knows immediately which character is speaking. A good way to learn to write effective dialogue is to eavesdrop on the people around you. Note the quirks that distinguish one speaker from another. For example, teenagers these days seem to put the word ‘like’ indiscriminately in their speech. Here’s an example of a conversation I overheard on the subway one day, â€Å"He was like really out of control, and like I just couldn’t get into what he was like saying, you know.† That is an actual line of dialogue that could be used in your story. You have to be careful in most cases not to use what you hear verbatim. People don’t often say what they want to say as succinctly as you need your characters to speak to keep your story moving; but informal expressions in your dialogue will make your characters sound like real people. If you want your writing to keep people interested, in addition to a strong plot, and an interesting theme, you need characters that people find believable. This means learning to write dialogue that holds a reader’s interest as much as the plot. Dialogue, when well written, can help to identify a character more effectively than paragraphs of description or narrative, and it can help keep your story moving. More importantly, it can keep a reader interested in your story from the opening sentence through to the end. You can check Charles page on RedRoom for commentary on leadership, politics and life in general, as well as information about his books. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"Flier vs. Flyer5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow