This particular column was published today, and it’s Cinco de Mayo. It is celebrated in the United States as if it were Mexico’s National Day. I am writing the name of this “festival” in all caps because I think it is precisely an apt name for something that has crystallized over the past five years in the neighboring country to the north and has become the most emblematic of everything that symbolizes and represents Mexico. In this sense, I remember that before living in Washington I thought it was a perversion and an insult to our culture that Americans unilaterally decided to celebrate our day on May 5th, the date on which the battle is actually celebrated. Puebla and this, in many cases in Mexico, is not even a mandatory celebration like Benito Juárez’s birthday or Independence Day. This is the way things go.
I moved to this country and began to realize that the celebration of Cinco de Mayo would not change easily or soon, nor that they were very interested in doing so and that for whatever reason, they preferred to celebrate Mexico on this date rather than in September. , as is identical; Thus the “informal” celebration of Mexico has become, to the point that the White House, for example, regularly organizes events where Mexican personalities are invited (from the fields of culture, government, music, gastronomy, etc.). My friends, on social networks, upload stereotypes with a hat and tequila, and brag that they are going to eat guacamole. I still think in that sense that, to a large extent, it’s kind of an aberration, but beyond fighting with this reality that won’t change, maybe we can change perspective and redirect our colleagues to take advantage of it and generate more positivity from our country.
Having said that, I think the famous Cinco de Mayo is an opportunity, first of all, to let go of whether it should be celebrated or not, and take advantage of the fact that it is done anyway. It is one of the few events of a related nature that is put from the White House and the upper echelons of government in the national spotlight and positioning is not difficult, because it is already on everyone’s mind. I will repeat what I said in previous years and specifically twelve months ago: let us accept Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to put Mexico favorably in US public opinion for those things we want to highlight: our food, our culture, our music, our people so that other issues are not talked about Like insecurity, borders and immigration. Anyway, it doesn’t cost us anything, people love it and that doesn’t mean we give up on celebrating our independence on the day that officially corresponds to it. At this time, a realistic view of this issue will be beneficial to our country in terms of public opinion.
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