Cinco de Mayo has rolled around once again

...and according to this article in Wikipedia it is observed "by Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and people of non-Mexican heritage", which is another way of saying "everybody". So if you do not celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or worse yet, are not even aware of Cinco de Mayo, you are definitely the odd man (or woman) out. Wikipedia also tells us that this particular holiday was popularized (British, popularised) in the United States in the 1980s by manufacturers of beer, wine, and tequila, and that more beer is sold every year on May 5th than during the Super Bowl. Judging from the celebratory noises emanating from Mexican restaurants everywhere on this day, I can certainly believe it.

Well, enough about that except to say that Cinco de Mayo has nothing to do with Mexican Independence Day, which occurs in September and celebrates Mexico's independence from Spain. No, dear heart, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the defeat of the French Army in 1862 by a much smaller Mexican army at the First Battle of Puebla, although France turned around later and gained the upper hand at the Second Battle of Puebla, which led to the installation of Maximilian I as Emperor of Mexico by none other than Napoleon III. As I said, enough of that.

But you really should read every last word of that Wikipedia article as well as enjoy the colorful (British, colourful) pictures of dancers in Mexican costume.

Moving right along, yesterday I was walking through our local Kroger supermarket pushing the squeakiest, noisiest grocery cart I have ever pushed (I was intent on completing my grocery shopping and too lazy to turn around and get another grocery cart). Suddenly, in the frozen food aisle, I had a mental picture of scenes from the movie Thoroughly Modern Millie starring Julie Andrews in which the villainess, Beatrice Lillie, gets rid of bodies by concealing them in an ordinary-looking but very squeaky laundry cart. I completed my Kroger experience with a smile on my face and no small bit of consternation in my cerebral cortex. I even mentioned the scene from the movie to an older couple in the dog food aisle.

There is no point to my telling you this except that it happened and I thought you might enjoy hearing about it.

Sometimes I talk to people in grocery stores. For instance, I was behind a woman in the checkout line (different day) whose cart was piled high and overflowing with what must have been five or six hundred dollars worth of purchases, and I could not resist. "I hope you buy groceries just once a month," I said, and the woman replied, "My son is coming home from school for a visit," to which I responded, "And like a good mother you wanted to have one of everything he liked" but I could see it was more than that. For instance, she had a 12-pack of Coca Cola, a 12-pack of Canada Dry Ginger Ale, and a 12-pack of some third kind of soft drink in her cart, along with what looked to be hundreds of boxes of this and that just to be on the safe side. I surmised that either her son's visit was not going to be a short one or she was throwing a welcome-home party for the entire neighborhood and personal friends from far and near, or perhaps her son was bringing home half the school with him. I said nothing. I know when to be quiet.

Speaking of Mexico, our little half-Chihuahua, half-Jack Russell terrier, who sleeps on our bed at night, came and curled up under my left arm when I awoke this morning. I suppose since I received my every-two-months intra-vitreous shots in my eyes yesterday for the macular degeneration that was diagnosed five years ago, one of the first thoughts I had upon awaking was "If my eyesight fails completely, how will the bills get paid online? How will we get food? and so forth because Mrs. RWP no longer has a drivers license (British, licence). One of those 'God-voice' moments happened and my worries were interrupted internally by this thought, "Why can't you be more like your little dog? She relies on you completely for food and shelter. When she goes outdoors, you are always there right by her side and she is happy and safe on her leash because she trusts you and knows you love her. Try to do that with Me. Take no thought for the morrow."

So I'm ending this post with a familiar passage from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapter 6. Jesus is speaking:

25 "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

That's good advice for every day. Even Cinco de Mayo. Now go back and click on the link to that article.

If you prefer beautiful music to articles from Wikipedia, here's the Mississippi College Choir singing "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" by isaac Watts (4:42) .

Here are the lyrics:

1. My Shepherd will supply my need:
Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

2. When I walk through the shades of death,
Thy presence is my stay;
A word of Thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head.

3. The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise!
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.

¡Olé! ¡Cinco de Mayo! (and The Writer's Almanac)

According to The Writer's Almanac (a website I visit regularly), today is Cinco de Mayo (“the fifth of May” in Spanish), “a Mexican holiday that celebrates the Battle of Puebla, 1862, in which Mexican forces defeated French invaders against overwhelming odds. What began with a demand by the govern-ment of France for payment on bonds turned into a war of conquest. The French commander was sure of victory, but 2,000 troops under General Ignacio Zaragoza carried the day instead. The French ultimately won the war, installing Maximilian of Austria as ruler of Mexico, but the victory at Puebla gave the Mexicans the confidence to depose him and declare independence, five years later [Aside from me: depose, my eye, they executed him]. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with fiestas, parades, battle reenactments, and often a combate de flores, a battle of flowers. The site of General Zaragoza's birthplace, in Goliad, Texas, was designated a state park in 1960.”

So says The Writer's Almanac. Funny, I always thought Cinco de Mayo had something to do with Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821. But unlike Arthur Fonzarelli from Happy Days, I find it very easy to say I was wro..., I was wro....

Mr. Garrison Keillor of St. Paul, Minnesota, which also happens to be where the photo above was taken, reads daily from The Writer's Almanac on your local National Public Radio station. Twice a day, in fact. This week he'll be talking about Karl Marx, Soren Kierkegaard, Henry David Thoreau, Sigmund Freud, Johannes Brahms, Robert Browning, Fred Astaire, and Salvador Dali. He'll also be talking about a lot of people I never heard of. If you'd rather not listen to him, you can read The Writer's Almanac for yourself online every day, or do as I do: I prefer to read a week's worth every Monday morning.

It's fascinating stuff. I recommend it.

But back to Cinco de Mayo, here's more about it from another source, wikipedia.com: “In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. The date is perhaps best recognized in the United States as a date to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry, much as St. Patrick's Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year are used to celebrate those of Irish, German, and Chinese ancestry, respectively. Similar to those holidays, Cinco de Mayo is observed by many Americans regardless of ethnic origin...Special events and celebrations highlight Mexican culture, especially in its music and regional dancing. Examples include ballet folklórico and mariachi demonstrations held annually at the Plaza del Pueblo de Los Angeles, near Olvera Street. Commercial interests in the United States have capitalized on the celebration, advertising Mexican products and services, with an emphasis on beverages, foods, and music.”

With an emphasis on beverages, foods, and music. No kidding. Thanks, wikipedia, I would never have known, otherwise.