Happy Cinco de Mayo! Each year this Mexican holiday seems to grow bigger and bigger. But do you know where the celebration began and what it is we are celebrating? Here are some facts you may find interesting about Cinco de Mayo.

• Cinco de Mayo means “the fifth of May.” Many people believe it is Mexico’s Independence Day, but that is incorrect. (Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16.) Rather, Cinco de Mayo is the anniversary of a battle that took place between the Mexicans and the French in 1862.
• While Cinco de Mayo is technically a Mexican holiday it is actually more widely celebrated in the US. In Mexico the date is only celebrated in distinct regions such as Puebla where the original battle took place. In the states more than 150 celebrations take place across the country.
• Holy guacamole! According to the California Avocado Commission, Americans are expected to consume more than 70 million pounds of avocados on May 5th alone. That’s a lot of guacamole.
• The largest Cinco de Mayo event in the world is held in Los Angeles, California, where more than 600,000 people celebrate with music and food. The whole event is called Festival de Fiesta Broadway. Two other big festival are held far from Mexico, in Denver, Colorado, and St Paul’s, Minnesota, but they draw hundreds of thousands of participants.
• The Cinco de Mayo festival in Chandler, Arizona, is known for its Chihuahuas! There are Chihuahua parade, races and pageants. At the end, a King and Queen of the Chihuahuas are crowned.

Is Clay Aiken celebrating Cinco de Mayo? Clay has said that he is not a big fan of Guacamole or avocados and complained that too much food in California is smothered in the “green stuff.” However, maybe he and his family actually like a taco or two and maybe they like to munch on a plateful of Nachos. Who knows….It might be Fiesta Time at the Aiken House!!

The following videos show the remarkable performances that Clay puts on when he sings his favorite songs.