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The Hispanic Population of Rural Central Louisiana and Their Traditions By William F. Manger Agricultural Sector Secular Holidays The Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) celebration that takes place in many bars around the United States each year, actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on that day in 1862. Sara and Raul Ruiz of Alexandria use the celebration to teach children at St. Francis Cabrini School, which their three children attend, a little about Mexican culture. Sara is originally from Roma, Texas, while Raul was born just across the border in Mexico. The Ruiz family originally moved to Alexandria in 1998 to be close to Sara's brother who works for the Social Security Administration. Sara said that the students at Cabrini are "thrilled" by the Cinco de Mayo celebration that she and her family have put together for the past three years. Over time the celebration has become more elaborate and they now begin to plan the event several months in advance. The celebration is held out-of-doors in a school patio, which they decorate with Mexican flags and banners. The family also takes a fountain made of volcanic rocks, benches, an antique wagon, clay pots, hay, and other decorations to give the party an "Old Mexico" theme. These items come from the store the family opened in Alexandria in 2003 and from which they sell a variety of traditional Mexican crafts that they purchase in places such as Guadalajara and Monterrey. Raul Ruiz takes his barbecue grill to the school and cooks the children a traditional Mexican meal using the mesquite they also sell at their store. Sara and Raul begin the event by explaining the actual history of Cinco de Mayo. During the first two years of the celebration they played traditional Mexican music on a CD-player. This year, however, they hired a mariachi band named "Sol Aztec" from Baton Rouge to entertain the children. They children were taught the Mexican hat dance and also danced to the songs, "La Bamba," "La Macarena," and "La Cucaracha." During the first year of the Cinco de Mayo celebration only the kindergarten class was involved. This year, however, the entire school was invited to participate and included over 100 students and some 25 teachers and staff members. Because of the larger number of people that now take part in the celebration, the children are divided into two groups that are brought in at different times to take part in the event. Despite the demand on her time, Sara said that it "is worth the effort." She also mentioned that she was not very familiar with the Cinco de Mayo celebration before moving to Alexandria. In Mexico, she said, Cinco de Mayo is mainly commemorated in the city of Pueblo where the battle took place. When she moved to Alexandria she was very surprised to find that Cinco de Mayo was "so big."
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