Perhaps you like to have a leg up in conversation when certain holidays come around, or you would like to best those who typically are the “know-it-alls” on certain days. Boy, do I have good news for you; Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner & you can be ahead of the curve! The following are some extra facts that you can whip out to fill in the idle chatter if you are out drinking on Cinco de Mayo. Disclaimer: You are responsible for the delivery of said information & how others perceive you. Secondary Disclaimer: If you are already a well-informed know-it-all… what have I done, & I am so sorry for your friends. Third Disclaimer: You may find that everyone who has signed up for this newsletter & are attending the next Scranberry Coop flea market, which falls directly on Cinco de Mayo, may already know this information, so definitely approach the conversations with a level of neutrality that is socially acceptable! ;p

Round 1: Just enough liquid courage to neutrally inform your friends about the history of Cinco de Mayo.

“Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s independence day. Mexican independence is celebrated Sept.16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French forces of Napoleon III on May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Puebla. Mexico had trouble paying back war debts to European countries, and France had come to Mexico to collect that debt..'” (USA Today)

Round 2: Possibly coming slightly as a know-it-all, if you have glasses, this is when you slide them up your nose.

“Although Cinco de Mayo is rooted in Mexican heritage and culture, most don’t realize that it’s a largely American holiday. It’s barely celebrated south of the border; only in the city of Puebla, where the battle took place. Actually, the alleged largest Cinco de Mayo festival in the world, the Fiesta Broadway, is held in Los Angeles. Soon after Latino activists began raising awareness for the holiday during the ’60s, restaurants, retailers, and liquor brands seized the marketing opportunity. By the ’80s, Cinco de Mayo had become a bonafide drinking holiday with cultural undertones. Today, Americans drink more beer on Cinco de Mayo than Super Bowl Sunday or St. Patrick’s Day.” (Business Insider)

Round 3: Hypocritical buzzkill, bashing on corporations & how we are supporting the evils of capitalism.

“David Hayes-Bautista, a professor at U.C.L.A… called “Cinco de Mayo” a ‘fake holiday recently invented by beverage companies.’ The holiday’s evolution from an earnest show of patriotism to a chiefly corporate celebration has been fitful, to say the least. ‘I’m trying to get a better sense of how that became so thoroughly lost,’ Dr. Hayes-Bautista said in a phone call from Puebla, the site of the 1862 battle. ‘It’d be like if the Fourth of July were reduced to beer and hot dogs.'” (New York Times)

Bonus Rounds: Read from the National Geographic article at length to really educate everyone around you about Cinco De Mayo, yeah show them how much they don’t know! Just be sure to drink lots of water & sober up between the paragraphs of endless information, or just take an Uber home, better safe than sorry!