Post #89577 by Geeky Tiki on Mon, May 3, 2004 3:06 PM

Felicidados, amigos.

Today is number three of the eight crazy days of "Uno De Mayo" through "Ocho De Mayo."

This eight day holiday celebrates the victory of the citizens of Mexico over Napoleon III in the Battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862.

Napolean III, and especially his wife, Eugenia, had hoped to subvert democracy in Mexico and possibly establish themselves as monarchs.

As an aside, we all know that democracy in Mexico would not truly be destroyed until the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) came to power around 70 years ago.

Anyway....After Mexico's independence from Spain was achieved in 1821, the economy had not flourished, producing civil war in 1858.

The civil war destroyed most of Mexico's economy, and Britain, Spain, and France were major debt holders. France was feeling imperialistic in those days, and took it upon themselves to try to establish Mexico as a French subkingdom, hence the involvement of the people I mentioned.

Luckily, Mexico was fighting the French, so the outcome was inevitable, but the battle in Puebla on May 5th was the "Waterloo" of the Napolean III in Mexico.

So, to the festival....

Uno De Mayo: A day of wine tasting and celebration of horse racing. In Las Vegas we have a big wine festival and in Kentucky they have a big horse race.

Dos De Mayo: On this day, tradition is to always order two drinks at a time. "Dos mas, por favor" is heard throughout the Southwest on Dos De Mayo.

Tres De Mayo: The tradition is to drink according to the colors of the mexican flag.
First, a strawberry margarita, then a pina colada, then a regular lime margarita. The idea is to drink until the little flag on a toothpick in your drink appears to wave in the breeze.

I've tried to keep to the spirit and adjudged that a fine red wine, a decent white wine, and then an Absinthe are also fully within the spirit of the day.

Quatro De Mayo: On this day, celebrants drink tequila until they have to use all fours to get to bed. It is also acceptable to drink until you puke for the fourth time. Whichever comes first.

Cinco De Mayo: The peak of the festival. On this day, we assemble in great numbers at Mexican resturaunts and bars, stand shoulder to shoulder, and wonder out loud, much as Napolean III did at the Battle of Puebla, "Where the Hell did all these people come from?"

Seis De Mayo is "Six Pack Day." The object is to drink Corona or Dos Equiis or Pacifico Claro or other fine Mexican brew in multiples of six. This day has actually had the greatest impact in the USA, where the holiday has evolved to the point where we now buy almost all our beer in 6-packs, 12-packs, and cases of 24 all year long!

Siete De Mayo: The seventh day is the day all those wussie northerners rest. The Siete De Mayo is a day of "Turning it up to once (eleven)!" Anybody can rest on the seventh day, but it takes a real patriot to keep the party going. It is a day of frenzied activity and partying it up.
Siete De mayo has also had a significant impact on American culture. Based on forsaking the usual Sabbath, Americans took up the spirit of this day by inventing the NFL and then having drunken tailgate parties. Many Americans have also incorporated bits of "Dia De Los Muertos" and they put on colorful costumes or wear face paint for their tailgate/sports rituals. They then watch men engage in ritualistic combat, much like the original Mayans did.

Ocho De Mayo: A day of remorse and recovery. When the eight days have been celebrated properly, Ocho De Mayo is also known a "El Dia De Los 'No Mas'." Americans have also stolen this term from the festival and made it generic for any over-indulgence - "Man, I'll never to THAT again."

So, anyway, Happy Tres De Mayo to you all, I gotta get started. Smell ya later!

[ Edited by: Geeky Tiki on 2004-05-03 15:09 ]