Is Cinco de Mayo disappearing?

Foto: Helena Prentis

By: Helena Prentis

The annual parade to commemorate the Mexicans’ unexpected victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862 did not stand up to the expectations of many today.

The parade, which included over eight thousand five hundred soldiers, students and teachers was in fact the shortest recorded, lasting only an hour and twenty minutes as opposed to the usual length which broaches on two hours. The march also started an hour earlier, causing many people to miss out on the greater part of the spectacle.

The disappointment of this year’s parade is following on from the concerns which many people have voiced over the Internacional Festival of Cinco de mayo, which supposedly will go on until the 4th June. Much confusion has arisen over the organisation of the festival due to the lack of information featured on its website. Very little is known as to what the festival will entail, only that Oaxaca will be the guest city and that a stage has been set up in the zócalo.

Many poblanos are now of the opinion that such events mark the beginning of the end for the celebration, with interest from official organisations making it harder to celebrate the event each year. In fact, the annual victory celebration is celebrated much more widely in the United States than in Mexico, sadly due to the fact that many americans misconceive it to be Mexico’s Independence Day.

Although the confusion around the day remains, as does the stage in the zócalo in Puebla, and we can hope to see various acts until 4th June.