Cinco de Mayo, (not to be confused with Mexico’s Independence Day on September 9th) means “The Fifth of May,” if we remember from our high school Spanish. This day celebrates the Mexican Army’s victory over the highly-favored French forces at the Battle of Puebla and changed the course of history… and as always, Socksmith is here to celebrate with Cinco de Mayo socks!
Blog post by Sean Jimenez, Socksmith Sales and Marketing Director. He tells his own personal Cinco de Mayo story.
What is Cinco de Mayo?
Growing up in a Mexican-American family, I didn’t know squat about Cinco de Mayo, nor did we celebrate it. Heck, I had never even seen or tasted homemade salsa until college, and that was at a friend’s house who was mostly Irish. Go figure. I grew up with tuna-casserole and canned green beans, Tang, and an occasional orange Crush. When my Mexican grandmother moved in with us for a few years, she changed my life forever. Ever since I was little, there’s never been a restaurant that can cook like her, on Cinco de Mayo or any day.
My point is, most of the time we use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to get our party on; sipping on Margaritas and beer; and perhaps even smashing a piñata for the loot inside, but we never really, truly think about the meaning of the day, and, why would we? Once I’ve smashed a piñata, had a margarita, put my beer socks on and rolled my r’s a few times, the last thing I want to do is think about a Mexican victory over the French in a fight that was back in 1862!
When and Where to Wear, Piñata Socks
I have friends that go big for Cinco de Mayo (and Cinco de Mayo socks!), and for good reason: it’s a welcomed holiday that breaks up a lengthy dry spell, where only Easter provides a bit of refuge after the long Christmas break. So really, Cinco de Mayo comes at a much-needed time for a good weekday party!
Personally, I’d rather be strolling on the beach looking for sea stars (or sea star socks!) while dodging waves rolling in (be on the lookout for those wave socks!), picking up sea shells with my kids. Since they can’t drink beer or margaritas, they can only look at me with raised eyebrows when I put on my brightly colored “Let’s Get Smashed” socks, though I typically try to save those for parent-teacher conferences.
Nevertheless, as I get older I can appreciate what Cinco de Mayo offers, and even pat my mother-in-law’s Chihuahua on the head with an affectionate, “Thanks, Chewy”, because although I know and appreciate what the day stands for, I can also appreciate a good margarita, beer, or Chihuahua sock.
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