Celebrate El Cinco De Mayo In Arizona

The Fifth of May in Arizona

Were you ever in Arizona during the Fifth of May celebration? It was yet another festive day as the state continued to honor the contributions of the Hispanic community. Indeed, you should see a lot of Hispanic influences evident on Arizona’s rich culture, history and tradition. This year, there were plenty of activities, shows, traditional food and drinks which made the celebration a lot more fun and exciting. Just to give you a few examples of how Cinco De Mayo was observed, Chandler once again sported its famous Chihuahua races and subsequently crowned the winners. Avondale hosted its free event at the Hilton Garden Inn with live music, dancing and of course, Mexican food. On the other hand, Peoria celebrated with esteemed Ruben Ramos’ Tejano music and ballet folklorico at the Centennial Plaza. Phoenix also didn’t want to be left out. Van Buren was filled with merriment, live bands and lots of food to keep the crowds all fired up. View the rest of the happenings in downtown Phoenix here.

What is Cinco De Mayo?

Some people used to think that Cinco De Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day. It’s not. The Fifth of May commemorates the day when the Mexican army won over the French forces in 1862. The Battle of Puebla lasted only four hours but its significance is much more. Currently 10% of US population is of Mexican origin. Hundreds of thousands have also served in the US army. Mexico and US have far more integrated things than they would like. The people are very much integrated. Mexican food is liked throughout the United States. This festival is much celebrated in Arizona and New Mexico because of their shared borders with Mexico. So the culture and many non material values are swept into the United States. If you ever find a chance to attend this festival, don’t miss it. Its worth a shot.