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Cinco
De Mayo Celebration A Frist For New York
From El Diario/La Prensa
April 12, 2002
By Ana Ledo
This year the first Cinco de Mayo Festival will be celebrated in
New York City.
The Committee for National Mexican Holidays and Casa Puebla announced
that on Sunday May 5th, the celebration will take place at Flushing
Park, Queens.
Prominent entertainers such as Alicia Villareal, los Tucanes de
Tijuana, and the Kumbia Kings will be part of the event.
"This will be a great moment for us to showcase our culture to
the other communities and the authorities," said Jaime Lucero, president
of Casa Puebla.
Lucero hopes that the entire community will come out and participate.
"We hope that our festival will be like the Colombian or the Ecuadorian
ones in New York."
Although May 5th is not Mexican Independence Day, Mexicans, especially
for those who reside in the United States, celebrate it with the
same importance.
Mexico won its independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. May
5th, however, is a significant day for both Mexicans and Americans.
One hundred and forty years ago, 4,000 soldiers under the command
of president Benito Juarez, defeated 8,000 invading French troops
who tried to conquer Mexico starting with the state of Puebla.
Under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza, born in Texas,
the Mexican army defeated Napoleon III's French forces.
Cinco de Mayo is an important military and political date, not
only because of the battle of Puebla, but also because it marks
a point in history for Mexico's prowess and nationalism.
The celebration of the first Cinco de Mayo Festival is free and
open to the public from 10 am until 6 pm. For more information call
(718) 651-1708.
Translated from the Spanish by Armando Reyes
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