Let’s Taco ‘bout Cinco de Mayo
Story by Brian EJ Lee
Edited by Junie Kah
Design by Helaine Lee
Edited by Junie Kah
Design by Helaine Lee
Cinco de Mayo is a festival celebrated in Mexico and United States. Contrary to popular belief, it is not Mexican Independence Day. It is actually a day celebrating one special battle called the Battle of Puebla in which a small group of Mexicans managed to defeat a larger army of French in the Franco-Mexican War. The 4000 Mexicans managed to defeat the better-equipped 8000 Frenchmen through pure determination and bravery. What is even more surprising is that the French hadn’t been defeated for more than 50 years before the Mexicans’ miraculous victory. This battle became an inspiration to many of the Mexicans and became a symbol of courage and hope. Later, this battle was also used in the Civil War as propaganda to motivate and give hope to soldiers. Today, this event is celebrated widely in order to honour the brave Mexicans who continued to fight even though they were heavily outnumbered. Cinco de Mayo has become a huge holiday full of parades, street festivals, and music performances.
This year, the two SIS 8th grade Spanish classes celebrated Cinco de Mayo by preparing and eating Mexican foods and watching a movie related to the Mexican holiday. Each student was in charge of making food like burritos, enchiladas, and mexican rice or bringing utensils and plates. The food was laid out in a buffet style, with a variety of main dishes and drinks in the center and scrumptious desserts on the side. They also watched a cartoon movie about Cinco de Mayo and a brief documentary on the history of the day and how it is celebrated nowadays. For many of these students, it was their first time cooking Mexican food and they were very proud of their accomplishments. Throughout the party, shouts of “try this!” could be heard as students enthusiastically devoured a variety of foods. Helaine Lee (8) says, “We all interacted with each other with foods and snacks and I had a lot of fun!” The memorable party was a fun opportunity for these students to have a first-hand experience about the Mexican culture. With a free pass from Spanish class and great food, the event was truly memorable for the 8th graders. HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO! |
This is a photo of the main dishes that the Spanish students made. Some of the things they brought are quesadillas and burritos. (Photograph by Brian EJ Lee)
Students mill around as they get food from the tables and sit down with their friends to watch a special Spanish movie. (Photograph by Brian EJ Lee)
Here are the scrumptious desserts that students brought. These desserts included cake, churros, and a pie. (Photograph by Brian EJ Lee)
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