Cinco de Mayo, “fifth of May,” is a regional holiday in Mexico, commemorating the Mexican victory over the French army on May 5th, 1862, at Puebla, east of Mexico City. Although the Mexican army was badly trained and poor equipped it defeated one of the most powerful armies in the world.

The city of Puebla became the national symbol of a heroic battle. On May 5th, 1862, north of the city of Puebla, the French Army, under General Charles de Lorencez, fought the Mexican army, under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza. A big annual celebration is held here every year. Similar celebrations are held in San Francisco, San Jose and Richmond.

Americans often confound Cinco the Mayo with Mexico’s Independence Day because the date is seen in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

"This celebration is so important to me because it brings me back to my world of Zacatecas and the Mexican culture that I miss so much," Enrique Gonzalez Sr., one of the participants at the parade, was quoted as saying by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Cinco de Mayo continued to grow in popularity over the last period and became a symbol of a mixed culture, as “Everybody's Mexican on Cinco de Mayo.”

On the other hand, Jerry Fernandez, one of the owners of the Spanish Pavillion in Harrison and a board member of the New Jersey Restaurant Association, emphasized another aspect of the celebration, saying it may be a “marketing tool” and drawing attention on the power of Mexican beer and tequila company advertising in American markets.

But Cinco de Mayo means parades, arrays of multicolored costumes, allegorical floats, the pride of striding horsemen, exhibitions of Mexican dances, and above all the opportunity of drinking a margarita while listening to the original rhythms of mariachi, which makes you dream about the past.