Fafblog does Cinco de Mayo
By Jim Dallas
Fafnir's introductory piece is about as accurate as what most TV news reporters told us about Cinco de Mayo (also called "Drink a Coors for La Raza Day," according to a professor at UT who lectured on this a while back) about 10 years ago:
Today is Cinco de Mayo! or as it is known in Mexico the Fifth of May. It is a holiday comparable in importance to the American Fourth of July. It celebrates the day when Mexico signed their declaration of independence and threw off the yoke of British colonialism, huzzah! It is also known as "Mexican Independence Day" or "The Day of the Dead" because the head of the Mexican army enlisted the spirits of the dead to help them fight the British troops. This became the basis for Lord of the Rings.
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with the ceremonial burning of a piñata in the shape of King George, which is referred to as "the Guy." King George is called "the Guy" because it is sort of an informal version of saying "the Man," like "the Guy has me down" or "I gotta work for the Guy." He is also sometimes called "Guy Fawkes" as in "The Guy Fawkes you" or "I am getting Fawked by the Guy." It is a more polite substitution for "f**k." In Mexico they are always terribly polite.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo today with a burning Guy or a thing for the dead or a gamelan or whatnot! It is Cinco de Mayo. Have fun.
Since Brad DeLong is keeping score, I guess I'm not quite ready to sign up for the Fafblog Faction (except on Saturdays from 10 pm to 12 am, when I'm either (a) very bored or (b) very drunk or (c) very, umm, both). I do not say that to suggest a lack of respect for Faf-itude, however.
Posted by Jim Dallas at May 7, 2004 05:44 PM
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