Cinco de Mayo in Miami

Cinco de Mayo, which means the fifth of May in Spanish,  is a day celebrated by Americans even though it is a Mexican holiday. In actuality not even all of Mexico celebrates this day rather the southeastern town called Puebla de Zaragoza celebrate by having a large festival.

The reason they are the only town to observe this day in Mexico is because on May 5, 1862, the earliest residents of the town fought against the French Empire. In an unsuspecting victory the Mexicans defeated the much more equipped French army in what is now known as the Battle of Puebla.

GiamoJC in the 305 · Life in Miami: Cinco de Mayo

The United States is connected to this battle, because the French were marching their way thru Mexico to help southern soldiers in America's Civil War. But now in 2018, Americans are the ones who celebrate the Mexican victory of the Battle of Puebla much more intensely than the people of Mexico. 

Cinco de Wynwood in Miami 

Many Americans observe this holiday by drinking, dancing, spending time with friends and more drinking. Like other cities Miami has a special place where the party for Cinco de Mayo is very exciting. Wynwood, an area near downtown Miami, has a large festival with DJ's, food trucks, alcohol vendors and so much more.  

There were several fun activities at the Cinco de Wynwood this past weekend. One of the most famous and fun activities to watch was the riding of the bull. Obviously it was not a real bull, but a mechanical one operated by a certified technician. This activity tests a person's balance and ability to react quickly.

Another intriguing event at the party was a test of strength. For the possibility of winning $100 a contestant had to hang on to a bar for 100 seconds. At first glance it looks pretty easy, however, it is not very easy to hold up your own body weight. In the entire time I did not see anyone win the $100. 

Typically during Cinco de Mayo in the United States a lot of different Mexican customs become apart of the festival. During the Cinco de Wynwood there were several parts of Mexican culture being represented. 

The colorful skulls as seen in the picture are actually apart of the Day of the Dead celebrations in southern Mexico. This interesting holiday honors deceased loved ones.

 It's very common to see people wearing large hats with a pointed top called sombreros in Spanish. These hats are very famous in Mexican culture due  in large part to the mariachi bands, famous Mexican musicians, who wear them during their performances.

A party cannot be considered a party without music and dancing and there was definitely a lot of both at Cinco de Wynwood. Common dances in Mexican culture are Jarabe Tapatio, Danza de los Viejitos (Old Men's Dance), Polka Nortena (Northern States) , and many others. 

However in the United States these traditional Mexican dances are not apart of the festival. Typical dances at a Cinco De Mayo party usually includes grinding, twerking and some couples dance salsa if latin music is played. DJ's who are in control of the music selection typically play reggaeton, pop music and rap for Miami party goers to get people in the mood to dance.