Why do you celebrate 5th of may?

Answer 1

In short, Cinco de Mayo (or 5th of May) celebrates Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates that fateful day May 5, 1862, on which the Battle of Puebla occurred. It was on this day that 5,000 poorly trained, ill-equipped Mexican peasants, under the command of one General Ignacio Zaragoza, fought against a regiment of French soldiers. The French were following orders of Napoleon III when they invaded Mexico and arrogantly assumed that the Mexicans would stand aside. Not only did they not stand aside, but they fought bravely and triumphed over the French. Unfortunately, the French did eventually occupy Mexico and defeat the Mexicans but the Battle of Puebla showed the Mexican population that their people were willing to defend their country and this gave the country a feeling of unity and strength.

A common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day (which actually happened about 50 years earlier and is in September 16th).

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is mostly a local celebration held at the city of Puebla, where a parade is carried out. However, as it is a motive of pride among Mexicans - defeating the best army in the world at the time, when outnumbered by 2 to 1 is not an easy task - many people organize small celebrations, including meals or hanging out with friends and relatives, but no special food is prepared for the occasion. Even a couple of beers and salty snacks or "botana" would suffice.

In the U.S., Cinco de Mayo has become a broad celebration of the Mexican heritage and culture.