We sing and we samba

Happy Cinco de Mayo from the The Three Caballeros!

And now, in honor of a fowl friend from South of the Border (for those of you familiar with I-95, I am talking about Mexico, not the frivolities that reside just inside of the South Carolina border), Panchito, let me elucidate on what precisely Cinco de Mayo is and is not.

Cinco de Mayo is not the day that Mexico celebrates its independence, as we do on the Fourth of July. Cinco de Mayo is, in fact, the day that Mexico celebrates its victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla, which was fought on 5 May 1862. The victory proved so crucial, that President Benito Juarez established the Battle of Puebla Day, or Cinco de Mayo, in September of 1862 as a national holiday in Mexico. Over the years Cinco de Mayo has lost its status as a national holiday, but still stands firm as a day of celebration for the Mexican populace.