It´s that time of the year again. Time for a fiesta (party); no time for siesta (nap).

It´s Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for the Fifth of May.

Even though this holiday is a day of celebration in the United States, it´s not celebrated at all in some parts of Mexico.

This day marks the 1862 victory of the Mexican army over the French in the Battle of Puebla, 100 miles east of Mexico City. Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the “Batalla de Puebla” came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism.

At the time, Mexico had just finished fighting in the MexicanWar and much of its army was depleted. A group of 4,000 Mexican soldiers, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza, had to take on a powerful French army of 8,000 soldiers at Puebla.

The French, English and Spanish governments were upset about the decision by Mexican President Benito Juárez to suspend foreign debt payment for two years. The French army invaded Mexico in an attempt to collect Mexican debts. The English and Spanish quickly made deals with the democratic Juárez government, but the French had different ideas.

Under Emperor Napoleon III, the French army set out to take over the Mexican city and assumed that the Mexicans would give up their capital — as many European countries had done. But the Mexican army was prepared to battle. Many of the French soldiers were in bright colored clothing, making them easily visible to the less stylish Mexican troops who went on to win the battle.

In the United States, this battle came to be known simply as “Cinco de Mayo” and unfortunately, many people wrongly think it is Mexican Independence Day, which was Sept. 16, 1810.

Over the years, Cinco de Mayo has become commercialized and many people see this holiday as a time for fun and dance. Some thing this is strange because this is more of a Chicano (Mexican-American) holiday than it is a Mexican one.

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale in the United States than it is in Mexico. People of Mexican descent in the United States often celebrate this significant day by having parades, mariachi music, folklorico dancing and other types of festive activities.