David and Goliath by Michelangelo
As we discussed in our post on Cinco De Mayo, it was the fact that—against all odds—the Mexican militia defeated the much larger and better-armed French army that made the Battle of Puebla so remarkable.
Years ago, while having dinner at a Chinese restaurant, I opened my fortune cookie and got this fortune: “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” I immediately put it in a little frame on my desk where it remains today. Because, really, it’s the truth, isn’t it? There’s nothing like the sense of satisfaction that comes from succeeding at something against all odds.
The Mexican who celebrate their victory at the Battle of Puebla know it, I know it, and so do quite a few others…
What do a sky-diving event in Canada, a celebration featuring Mexican beer on the Mediterranean island of Malta, and an air guitar competition in the Cayman Islands have in common? Why Cinco de Mayo, of course! While these are some of the more far-flung examples, they are representative of a Mexican holiday that is celebrated with more intensity in many places outside of Mexico than in the country where the events that inspired it actually took place.
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