Originally posted by DENNIS
Here it is...again;
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WHY DO WE REALLY CELEBRATE "CINCO"
History gives us the Battle of Puebla to commemorate an otherwise
inconsequential turning point in Mexico's war against French forces, but Mexico
is among the last to see the occurrence as worthy of wide spread celebration.
More often, they view it as a non-event.
A more probable inspiration for this week of cross-border debauchery, as it was
meant to be in it's inception, was the international yacht race from Newport
Beach, California, to Ensenada, BCN.
The event was a yearly fiesta for boaters and landlubbers alike who planned a
trip south with the idea in mind to party 'til the lights went out......which,
of course, we did.
The Bahia Hotel was the center of official race activities, trophy presentations
and dinners, while Hussongs was the heart and soul of the hellish behavior that
accompanies excessive, unrestricted partying.
Year after year, the party called "Cinco", for it's traditional date of "Cinco
De Mayo," grew in popularity as well as attendance, and in Newport, displaced
even the Fourth of July in importance on the party calendar. It had become a
local tradition.
Well....it didn't remain a local tradition for long. Advertisers picked up on
the attraction and soon the term "Cinco" was being applied to everything
associated with summer fun away from the watchful eyes of home. Cinco had
advanced from tradition to institution.
The race still happens yearly, although the date may be only near Cinco De Mayo,
and the debauchery has been regulated to an allowable level, but the inspiration
for "Cinco' remains. It's party time.
[These thoughts are mine alone, so if you disagree,......well.....]
Here's some background on the yacht race:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_to_Ensenada_Internation... |
