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Holidays
Julie Murray
Chinese New Year
Cinco de Mayo
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Independence Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Presidents’ Day
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PLA_73682 Cinco De Mayo COV 4/23/04 5:41 PM Page 1
A Buddy Book
by
Julie Murray
Chinese
New Year
PL_73676 Cinco De Mayo 5/18/04 11:51 PM Page 1
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Published by ABDO Publishing Company, 4940 Viking Drive, Edina, Minnesota 55435.
Copyright © 2005 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No
part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Buddy
Books™ is a trademark and logo of ABDO Publishing Company.
Printed in the United States.
Edited by: Sarah Tieck
Contributing Editor: Michael P. Goecke
Graphic Design: Denise Esner
Image Research: Deborah Coldiron, Maria Hosley
Photographs: BrandX, Corbis, Digital Vision, Flat Earth, Hulton Archives, Image Ideas, Photodisc
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Murray, Julie, 1969-
Cinco de Mayo / Julie Murray.
p. cm. — (Holidays)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-59197-586-7 (alk. paper)
1. Cinco de Mayo (Mexican holiday)—Juvenile literature. 2. Mexico—Social life and customs—
Juvenile literature. 3. Cinco de Mayo, Battle of, Puebla, Mexico, 1862—Juvenile literature. [1. Cinco de
Mayo (Mexican holiday). 2. Holidays. 3. Mexico—Social life and customs.] I. Title.
F1233.M975 2005
394.262—dc22
2003065512
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Table of Contents
What Is Cinco de Mayo? ................4
Mexico At A Glance ......................6
The Battle Of Puebla ....................8
Cinco de Mayo Traditions . . . . . . . . . . 11
Mexican Foods ..........................13
Musical Traditions ......................15
Mexican Dancers ........................17
Cinco de Mayo In America ..........20
Important Words ..............................23
Web Sites ..................................23
Index ........................................24
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Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday
in Mexico. It happens on May 5 each
year. Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for “the
fifth of May.” This is the date Mexico
won a great battle in 1862. People
celebrate this day with parades, food,
music, and dancing.
What Is CincoWhat Is Cinco
de Mayo? de Mayo?
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5
The flag of Mexico.
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6
Location: North America
Borders: United States,
Guatemala, Belize, Pacific Ocean,
Gulf of Mexico
Capital: Mexico City
Population: 103 million people
Size: 756,066 square miles
(1,958,201 sq km)
Official Language: Spanish
Flag: Red, white, and green stripes
Money: Pesos
Number of States: 31
Mexico At A Glance
PL_73676 Cinco De Mayo 5/25/04 10:21 PM Page 6
Gulf of Mexico
Pacific
Ocean
Mexico City
UNITED STATES
Guatemala
Belize
Mexico
Border Countries
Capital City
7
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8
May 5, 1862, is important in
Mexico’s history. The Battle of Puebla
happened that day. The Mexican
people fought against French soldiers
and won. This battle made Mexico
stronger.
The Battle OfThe Battle Of
Puebla Puebla
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In 1862, Mexico and France were
fighting a war. The war started
because Mexico owed money to
France. Mexico did not have the
money to pay them. France wanted to
take over Mexico. Mexico was a weak
country. It had a small army.
Napoleon III was the
ruler of France during the
war with Mexico.
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On May 5, 1862, the French army
came to the town of Puebla. Puebla
is near Mexico City. The president of
Mexico told the army to defend
Puebla. People came from nearby
villages to help. Many lives were
in danger.
The people and soldiers fought
hard. After a few hours the French
retreated. This was an important battle
in the war for Mexico’s independence.
Mexico won this war in 1867.
10
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Cinco de MayoCinco de Mayo
TTraditions raditions
For many, Cinco de Mayo begins
with remembering the Battle of Puebla.
This is a Cinco de Mayo custom.
People dress in soldier uniforms. Then
they pretend to fight the battle
between Mexico and France. When
Mexico wins, people shout “Viva
Mexico!” This is Spanish for “Long
live Mexico!”
PL_73676 Cinco De Mayo 5/18/04 11:19 PM Page 11
After that, it is time for a fiesta.
Fiesta is a Spanish word that means
“party.” Children play Loteria, which is
like bingo. They also take turns hitting
the piñata. When the piñata breaks,
candy spills out. Cinco de Mayo also
includes parades, food, music,
and dancing.
12
Piñatas are often made
in the shapes of animals.
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13
Mexican FoodsMexican Foods
Food is part of Cinco de Mayo.
Tacos and burritos are Mexican foods.
So are beans, tamales, and salsa.
Menudo is a traditional soup eaten on
Cinco de Mayo. It is spicy. The cooks
make it using chili peppers and spices.
Traditional Mexican
foods are served for
Cinco de Mayo.
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Tortillas are another favorite food.
These are made with corn or flour.
People use them to hold meat,
vegetables, and cheese. Tortillas can
be fried into hard shells for chips or
tacos. Sometimes they are baked for
burritos and enchiladas.
14
Tacos are tortilla
shells filled with meat, cheese,
and vegetables.
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15
MusicalMusical
TTraditionsraditions
Mariachi bands play traditional
Mexican music at fiestas. Mariachi
means “musician.” Band members
play guitars, trumpets, violins,
maracas, and other instruments. They
dress in black suits, like Mexican
cowboys.
Maracas are sometimes
decorated with the colors of
Mexico’s flag.
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The songs mariachis play are called
corridos. Corridos is a Spanish word
for songs that tell stories. Many of
these songs are very old. The words
often tell stories of the past.
16
Mariachi band members
dress like Mexican cowboys.
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MexicanMexican
DancersDancers
Dancing is a part of Mexico’s
culture, too. The most popular dance
is the Mexican hat dance. It is the
national dance of Mexico. During this
dance, a Mexican hat called a
sombrero is put on the ground. The
dancers move around the hat and
stomp their heels on the ground.
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Sombreros are one part of
colorful Mexican costumes.
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Mexican dancers wear colorful
costumes. There are different
costumes for different dances. The
women wear skirts with ruffles. They
twirl the skirt while they dance.
The men wear sombreros and
short black jackets. Their pants have
silver buttons down the sides. They
also wear colorful scarves around
their waists.
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There are celebrations in the United
States, too. Cinco de Mayo is not an
official holiday in the United States.
Still, there have been celebrations in
the United States for about 100 years.
Many Americans came from Mexico.
Cinco de MayoCinco de Mayo
In AmericaIn America
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Dancing is a part
of Cinco de Mayo.
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Music is part of
many Cinco de Mayo
celebrations.
There are many activities on Cinco
de Mayo. People in the United States
have parades, carnivals, special foods,
and fireworks. Cinco de Mayo is a
day that many people celebrate
Mexico’s freedom.
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To learn more about Cinco de Mayo,
visit ABDO Publishing Company on the World Wide Web.
Web site links about Cinco de Mayo are featured on our
Book Links page. These links are routinely monitored and
updated to provide the most current information available.
www.abdopub.com
Web Sites
culture the customs of a group of people.
custom a practice that has been around a
long time.
fiesta Spanish word for party.
holiday a special time for celebration.
retreat to back away.
sombrero a large-brimmed hat worn in Mexico.
23
Important Words
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army ..........................9, 10
Battle of Puebla ..............4,
8, 10, 11
celebrations ............20, 22
costumes..11, 15, 16, 18, 19
culture ............................17
dancing ....................4, 12,
17, 19
fiesta ........................12, 15
flag ..............................5, 6
food ..........................4, 12,
13, 14, 21, 22
France ..............8, 9, 10, 11
holiday ......................4, 20
independence ................10
mariachi ..................15, 16
Mexican hat dance........17
Mexico ................4, 5, 6, 7
8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20, 22
Mexico City ............6, 7, 10
music ........................4, 12,
15, 16, 22
Napoleon III ......................9
parades ..............4, 12, 22
pesos ..............................6
piñata..............................12
Puebla ............................10
soldiers..................8, 10, 11
sombrero ..........17, 18, 19
Spanish ......4, 6, 11, 12, 16
United States ..6, 7, 20, 22
war ............................9, 10
Index
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