Jonah Gibson, 38, grew up in South Omaha and has seen the neighborhood’s Cinco de Mayo festivals take place each year. For him, the day has always been a time to share and enjoy with friends. He knew it was a Mexican celebration, but nothing more.
“In school, they don’t explain much about the holiday,” he said. “It’s a great celebration. When I was in Arizona it was also very much celebrated. People drink and have fun and it is a moment to celebrate the culture.”
For Gibson, Cinco de Mayo is a more commercialized holiday. The holiday can give local restaurants and businesses the opportunity to increase sales; people from all over the city come to South Omaha to share in the cultural exchange and take advantage of timely taco deals.
“The truth is, not many know what Cinco de Mayo is about, and more people need to be educated,” Gibson said. The holiday is celebrated on May 5th to commemorate Mexico’s victory in the Battle of Puebla, he said, and “all that celebration is compared to is St. Patrick’s Day or Oktoberfest,” he told El Perico in a conversation in a cafe in the city.
Gibson, who is from the United States, said that Cinco de Mayo is not a U.S. celebration.
“We like to have fun and enjoy days off. However, I feel that we need to educate ourselves more about what Cinco de Mayo is about. It is not just to show the parties and nothing else, but to look for a way to make people see that it is more thank drinking and celebrating together it marks a historical event,” he said.
Cinco de Mayo marks the the triumph of the Mexican army over the French invaders in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. At that time, the French thought that the Mexican army was inexperienced, so winning the battle made a boom in those days.
But the reason it is celebrated more in the U.S. — and not in Mexico — is due to the children of Mexican immigrants, known as Chicanos. Community leader Josefina Loza, who was born in the United States of Mexican parents, explained in an opinion article that in before the 1960’s, Latinos had no political influence. By that time the Chicano Movement and “Brown Pride” arose, which was based on protecting the rights of Latino workers and educational reforms.
Salvador Robles, who is also Mexican-American, grew up in South Omaha always celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
“My mother is Mexican-American and my father is from Mexico, so it was always a time in our community to celebrate our Mexican heritage,” Robles said. “My parents let us know from an early age that Cinco de Mayo was not Mexico’s Independence Day.”
During the 1990’s, Robles said, someone created the idea that May 5th marks Mexico’s Independence Day. Nevertheless, Cinco de Mayo has always been a day that connects people from the United States with the Latino world.
“In high school I went to a Catholic school where there were little to no latinos, so I’ve understood through the years how Cinco de Mayo could be misinterpreted as Mexico’s Independence Day by people who don’t have Mexican ancestry,” Robles said.
Beyond the misinterpretations, Robles believes that, even if it is already a commercial day, it is a way to celebrate Hispanic culture in Omaha.
Abelardo González, who is Mexican and the owner of popular Mexican food chain restaurant Abelardo’s, commented that for México this day doesn’t represent as big a celebration as in this territory. “I think in reality, people don’t know what Cinco de Mayo truly represents,” he said.
“This isn’t a day for restaurants. South Omaha benefits on Cinco de Mayo. Now, it’s a day that’s more commercialized and familiar for all. There’s a lot of folklore and Mexican representations.” González said he personally loves the parades and the charrería, the horsemanship sport native to Mexico that preceded the popularized rodeo.
The Cinco de Mayo organization is in charge of giving this day life. Over two to three days, South Omaha opens its streets to welcome the music, the dances and the traditions of the holiday to all in Omaha. This year, Omaha will celebrate from Friday, May 6 to Sunday, May 8.In this issue, you can find a map of the festival’s events.
