Today is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday celebrating the results of the Battle of Puebla, not a liberating marker, but still a symbol of the little man fighting the bigger tyrant.Immigrants bring their own traditions when they move to another place. Mexicans and Mexican Americans have brought the joyful celebration of Cinco de Mayo to many neighborhoods in the Americas.
Though I live in a cool place with constant showers and violent winds, today we will paint our day in rich colors and set a table with margaritas, nachos and guacamole to start the celebration. We will grill some meat, add some hot chiles, warm up some tortillas and ole, we'll be dancing a la folklorico, the hat dance, the tarantula.
I spent decades working in neighborhoods where Spanish was the first language. I got pretty fluent, able to converse with mothers and grandmothers who came to school for different functions. In my youth, I even learned some folklorico, dancing and swaying with a music that is so joyful and alive, it gives you back your soul with a couple of tunes.
If you have a Mexican neighborhood in your city, drop in today. You'll be treated to delicious food, amazing hospitality, and foot stomping music that will chase away any chill in the air.
Ole.
