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Contrary to what many Americans believe, Cinco de Mayo isn’t Mexico’s Independence Day. May 5 is a date that commemorates the military victory of the Battle of Puebla, where Mexican troops held off invading French forces in 1862. It was a surprising victory because the French were one of the most powerful armies in the world, so their forces were much more formidable. That’s why the Battle of Puebla has become a powerful underdog story of triumph over adversity and it made a big difference, especially for Mexicans living in California.
@eres.una.maravilla It’s Cinco de Mayo which means it’s that time of year to remind everyone that it’s NOT Mexican Independence Day. 🙃 Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla which happened on May 5, 1862. 6,000 French soldiers attacked Puebla and General Ignacio Zaragoza fought against them with 2,000 Mexican soldiers and Mexico won! Did you know that most of Mexico doesn’t celebrate this holiday? So if you’re going out today make sure to support Mexican owned businesses and please don’t wear ridiculous costumes. Gracias! 🇲🇽❤️ #cincodemayo please stop saying #cincodedrinko #5demayo #cincodemayo🇲🇽 #supportmexicanownedbusinesses #mexicanowned #mexicanownedbusiness
Outside of Puebla, Mexico doesn’t widely celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but in the U.S., things are very different. Mexicans have upheld the celebration, making it an integral part of their culture. Every year, over 500 cities in the U.S. celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and Los Angeles stands out among them because they always go all out. The day is celebrated with parades, street fairs, block parties, mariachi competitions, and more.
However, as time has gone on, Cinco de Mayo has become wildly Americanized, which in this case is a synonym for commercialized. The holiday is now less about the history behind the date and what it means for Mexicans, and more about consumerism. For most Americans, Cinco de Mayo is tacos and beer day, but they don’t even know what the holiday stands for.
@peptobizmuth It’s awesome to celebrate it but at least know what it is! 🇲🇽 Cinco de Mayo is not actually Mexican Independence Day, that was 50 years earlier and in September. Although Mexico won the Battle of Puebla against the French, the French won the Franco-Mexican war & occupied the area for the next 5 years. Cinco de Mayo isn’t a federal holiday in Mexico, so banks and most businesses are open as usual. It’s not a major holiday in Mexico and it seems like it’s a bigger deal in the States when majority of those getting wasted tonight have no idea what they’re “celebrating”. #mexico #mexico🇲🇽 #cinco #cincodemayo
With nearly endless access to information at one’s fingertips nowadays, ignorance is an excuse that no longer holds much weight. If they cared enough about the culture to educate themselves, they would. Americans’ celebration of Cinco de Mayo is not only shallow, but also hypocritical, as Mexican immigrants, Mexican Americans, and Latinos are generally facing an increase in hostility from some in the dominant white community, and crime rates are now reflecting an increase in hate crimes.
The aggression against Mexicans has even been exported to their own soil, with reports of U.S. tourists and migrants in Mexico and other Latin American countries attempting to diminish or fundamentally change their traditions and culture.
Cinco de Mayo: What Happened at the Battle of Puebla?
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla, which has a significant place in Mexican history. In the early 1860s, Mexico was grappling with internal and external turmoil. President Benito Juárez, trying to steer the nation forward, declared a moratorium on foreign debt payments. This angered European countries, with Spain and England withdrawing from the moratorium. Meanwhile, France, ruled by Napoleon III, had other plans for Mexico–turning it into a French colony.
At the time, the United States was going through its Civil War, so France’s intervention in Mexico posed an issue. According to the Monroe Doctrine, a U.S. policy, European colonization or puppet monarchs were actively resisted, but the Union was focused on the ongoing war. If they did nothing and Puebla came under French rule, Napoleon could establish trade with the Confederacy. On the other hand, sending help to Mexico could help France establish an alliance with the Confederacy. This is how the Battle of Puebla became intersected with the broader American context.
Despite being outnumbered by at least 2,000 French soldiers, Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza triumphed at Puebla, intensifying their sense of patriotism. In California, Mexicans saw this victory as a symbol of a shared struggle for democracy and liberty. The defeat of the French was a big blow to the Confederacy's hopes of support from a French-controlled Mexico, which gave the Union a boost.
@btswithdillon Cinco de mayo marks the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the second French empire at the the battle of Puebla in 1862. And no, it is not Mexico's Independence Day! 🇲🇽 #cincodemayo #5demayo #mexicantiktok #mexicanculture #mexico #historytok
The victory, however, was short-lived. The French re-grouped and, a year later, defeated 29,000 Mexicans and made their way to Mexico City, where they attempted to establish a second empire. Not to be deterred, Mexican forces continued fighting and took down an estimated 11,000 French troops with their guerrilla tactics. The French withdrew from the country in 1867 as it faced threats from Prussia in Europe and America if they didn’t withdraw.
Over time, the symbolism of the first Battle of Puebla intersected with bigger movements in the U.S., such as the fight for civil rights. This is one reason Cinco de Mayo isn’t just about Mexican pride, it’s also about the contributions Mexicans and Latinos have made to U.S. history.
Chicano activists in the 60s and 70s revitalized Cinco de Mayo as a symbol of Indigenous Mexican resistance and a call for social justice. However, in recognition of the holiday’s potential to profit from the Latino community, a demographic that has been consistently growing in the U.S., big businesses, especially beer companies, started commercializing Cinco de Mayo. The commercialization started in the 80s and, since then, it has muddled the true meaning of the holiday.
The Commodification of Latino Culture
Today, there’s no denying that Cinco de Mayo is centered around tacos, beer, and tequila. Looking at beer alone, Quartz reported that the Beer Institute declared Cinco de Mayo one of the biggest holidays for beer sales in the U.S. According to the same report, 2022 saw beer volume sales rise by 8% and commercial sales rise by 12% during the week of Cinco de Mayo compared to an average week at any other time of the year. Moreover, Cinco de Mayo has been shown to surpass the Super Bowl and St. Patrick’s Day in beer sales.
Cinco de Mayo also boosts produce sales. According to Produce Pay, this holiday is the second-highest consumption date for avocados, second only to the Super Bowl. It’s a highly profitable day for Mexican restaurants as well, whether they’re authentic or not, because they see a big increase in revenue on that day. This can be great news for Latino-owned restaurants, but it’s not uncommon for Latinos to feel torn about it.
In a society so driven by consumerism and instant gratification, the historical significance of Cinco de Mayo has been pushed to the sidelines. A date that was once a symbol of resistance is now centered around marketing and an excuse for corporations to capitalize on Latino culture while bolstering racist stereotypes in their campaigns. Profit has diluted this piece of Mexican heritage, turning it into one big party and highlighting nothing about its historical significance.
Cultural advocates highlight every year that it’s important to remember that while the holiday can certainly be enjoyed with tacos, beers, and margaritas, it’s also important not to forget the inspirational roots of resistance and overcoming against all odds.
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In Mexico, Día del Niño (Children's Day) is a commemorative day that honors children and promotes their well-being. Since 1925, the country has been celebrating children on April 30 through many different activities and events to entertain, educate, and bring joy to little ones. This day recognizes how important children are in society and also how essential it is to provide them with a healthy, well-adjusted childhood they can look back on. Día del Niño is also committed to promoting literacy through cultural activities and parent involvement.
On the topic of a healthy, well-adjusted childhood, we have to talk about the fact that not all children get that privilege. The ideal parent/child dynamic consists of parents providing the care children need so they can focus only on learning and enjoying the process of growing up. However, not all parents have the mental stability, emotional maturity, health, and/or resources to provide that, resulting in parentification.
Parentification 101
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Parentification in the Latino community
In 2015, a study set out to examine the implications of race/ethnicity and gender on parentification. They worked with 977 college students who had a history of parentification and found that males had a higher level of parentification than females across all racial/ethnic groups. Moreover, they found that Latinos and Blacks had a higher level of parentification than white Americans.
Unfortunately, parentification is very common in the Latino community, especially among first-generation children of Latino immigrants. The most common example of parentification in the Latino community is the “translator child,” who serves as the language mediator between parents and the outside world. In this role, children get exposed to issues and information beyond their years. That may include legal problems, medical problems, debt, bills, and so much more.
@drlesliegonzalez And that’s on me not ever asking for help 🙃 #latinostiktok #hispanictiktok #tiktoklatino #latina #firstgen #generationaltrauma
Parentified children may also suffer from anxiety, depression, and even anger management issues throughout their lives. Moreover, because they didn’t have anyone to turn to for help during their formative years, they may develop ineffective coping skills, which affects how they interact with the world around them. Not just as children, but also as adults.
@micheline.maalouf Parentification can lead to so many issues with our own self, identify, worrh, and connection. Being a parentified child means we didnt really get to experience our childhood as children and sonwe didnt get to learn about ourselves and what we like and we didn’t learn that we were worthy despite our accomplishments and what we do for others #parentification #parentified #cptsd #trauma
Healing your parentified inner child
While the trauma of parentification is difficult, it doesn’t have to be a lifetime issue. The journey to healing from parentification is through inner work and therapy. In the Latino community, mental health is often stigmatized, but it’s important to break the code of silence around it and break the pattern to find healing.
The first step is the most difficult because talking about your childhood as a parentified child makes many feel guilty, ungrateful, and critical of their parents. However, loving and respecting your parents doesn’t mean it’s wrong to acknowledge the things they did that hurt you. Acknowledging them will allow you to understand your experiences in a way you weren’t able to as a child.
With understanding often comes the need for open communication with your parents. If you’re able or willing to seek those conversations, understand that they won’t be easy. Your parents will have a different perspective and they may (often inadvertently) try to invalidate your experiences by saying that they had it worse. If they do that, avoid seeing it as an attack and take it as an opportunity to ask them about it.
More often than not, parents also have trauma they need to heal from, and approaching the conversation with grace can help them as much as it can help you. Moreover, it’s important to create healthy boundaries with your parents. Parentified children often continue the role well into adulthood with their parents being highly dependent on them. Setting limits is part of your healing and breaking the habits you’ve been maintaining your entire life.
@drshantesays Honoring your parents doesnt give them license for mistreatment. Its okay to set boundaries to preserve your mental health. #mentalhealth #settingboundaries #healthyrelationship #relationship #mindset
It’s also essential to let go of the guilt of wanting to heal from parentification. It may feel like you’re abandoning your parents or being selfish or a bad daughter or son, but you’re not. You’re just working on balancing the scales, fixing your codependent relationship with your parents, and seeking your own freedom so you can live your life as an adult to the fullest.
@latinahermana To my First-Gens, daughter of immigrants, parentified children, it’s okay to put yourself first. 🫶🏽🤍 #firstgenlatina #hijamayor #latinastiktok #daughterofimmigrants #parentified #firstgenlatinaissues
On this Día del Niño, we encourage you to seek healing by acknowledging your parentified inner child and holding space for it. Also, we encourage you to celebrate children and champion their childhood in any way you can, whether you’re a parent, sibling, aunt or uncle, grandparent, godparent, etc.
On April 14, gardeners and lucky people with green thumbs celebrated National Gardening Day. While it doesn’t usually garner a lot of attention, National Gardening Day is focused on encouraging others to get into some plants or into a garden to start their journey. We propose it should also be a time to honor the special skill and knowledge gardeners have, especially in the Latino community, where our connection to the earth is such a big part of the culture.
For far too long, gardening in the United States has been associated with Latinos, mostly Mexicans, in a very stereotypical way. While their work may be appreciated at a base level, there’s little to no recognition of the profound skill and dedication Latino gardeners bring to their craft.
After all, gardening isn’t just about trimming hedges or mowing lawns; it’s more complex than that, requiring a deep understanding of horticulture. Anyone who has done it will tell you that growing the kind of stunning garden that makes your neighbors jealous is hard work. It requires a certain kind of intelligence, known as naturalistic intelligence, which is the ability to understand and work with natural elements.
People with naturalistic intelligence are very sharp about identifying patterns and understanding what nature needs. This is why people who have this kind of intelligence are so good at not just gardening, but also farming, conservation, and more. Granted, gardening may not always be a calling for Latinos living in the U.S. Sometimes, it’s a means to an end, but there’s no denying that Latino gardeners have a connection to nature and know what they’re doing.
Latino gardeners, while often overlooked or underestimated, are responsible for making communities brighter and more beautiful by transforming ordinary spaces into thriving ones. Many of them have sharpened their skills through generations of family tradition, which makes their work even more special, having the skills passed down from their parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents and beyond.
Behind every meticulously manicured lawn or flourishing garden bed there are hours of hard work and passion for nurturing the earth. Latino gardeners often start their days before dawn, familiarizing themselves with every area they work with. Why? Because beautiful gardens are achieved by making the right choices not just for the land, but also for the owner.
Gardening is all about creating harmony and linking people to nature. If you really think about it, gardening is extremely focused on connection. The land is connected to the soil, the soil is connected to the plant, and the plant is connected to carers who help it thrive—not just the gardener but also the homeowners who continue the gardener’s work.
As we reflect on National Gardening Day, let’s take the opportunity to honor the invaluable contributions of Latino gardeners. Let’s recognize their expertise, their dedication, and their role in shaping our communities. In doing so, let’s also challenge the stereotypes that have marginalized them for far too long and celebrate the rich knowledge and culture they bring to the table.
Not to mention the love that many of them pour into the land; a land that isn’t their own, making that love even more worthy of appreciation.
So, here's to Latino gardeners blessed with green thumbs; the unsung heroes of many a garden across the United States!
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