| Valdez and Company practice for their upcoming performance at East Carbon’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. They will start playing at 8 p.m. |
Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May is a national holiday in Mexico and is also celebrated in many places within the United States, including Carbon County.
For the second year the city of East Carbon will host an annual Cinco de Mayo celebration.
The celebration commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Icona Zaragosa, over the French occupational forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
It is a common misconception that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day. That holiday is celebrated on Sept. 16 and called “Diecisies de septiembre” in Spanish.
Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of a battle in which 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and tratior Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City according to the website http://www.vivacincodemayo.org/.
The site goes on to state that under the command of Texas born General Zaragosa and Colonel Porfirio Diaz, Mexican soldiers waited for the French to attack during the morning hours of 1862, while their cavalry was directed to the flank of the charging French.
When the French sent their cavalry to chase Diaz and his men they were butchered. The remaining French infantrymen charged Mexican defenders and were cut down.
According to the Web site the U.S. supplied Mexico with weapons and ammunition to make sure they had the force needed to expel the French. The Mexican victory kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate army aiding the United States in concluding the civil war 14 months later.
The site concludes by stating that “Mexicans never forget who their friends are and neither do Americans. That’s why Cinco de Mayo is such a party, a party that celebrates freedom and liberty.”
The celebration kicks off in East Carbon at 8 a.m. with a breakfast at Viking Park and will be followed by a parade that will run from Miners Trading Post to the Sunnyside Park at 10 a.m. The celebration will continue with games and entertainment at the park in Sunnyside and conclude with a dance featuring music by Valdez and Company at 8 p.m. in Viking Park.
Corrections
The Sun Advocate inadvertently printed an error in the April 26 addition. All events for East Carbon’s Cinco de Mayo celebration will be conducted at the Viking Park.
The Sun Advocate incorrectly identified the band providing live music for the Cinco de Mayo celebration in East Carbon City. The band’s name is Los Valdez. The musical performances and all Cinco de Mayo activities will be presented at the East Carbon City Park. The Sun Advocate regrets the inadvertent error(s).