Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Here in the Valley of the Sun, a big day of celebration! I'm not sure there are parades and such, but plenty of tequila and margaritas making their rounds :)

In checking Wiki for info, I found:

It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state  Puebla.  The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.

Mexicans and Latinos living in California during the American Civil War are credited with being the first to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the United States.  Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day —the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico —  which is actually celebrated on September 16

TIME magazine reports that "Cinco de Mayo started to come into vogue in 1940s America during the rise of the Chicano movement."  United Press International reports that "The holiday crossed over into the United States in the 1950s and 1960s but didn't gain popularity until the 1980s when marketers, especially beer companies, capitalized on the celebratory nature of the day and began to promote it."  (This last part made me chuckle... Americans love any excuse to party!)

So slip into your party sombrero, dish up some nachos, pour a margarita and enjoy!