Cinco de Mayo, celebrated on May 5 each year, commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day but a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. While it holds historical significance in Mexico, it is also widely celebrated in the United States, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.

Here are some local celebrations:

Aerial Kitchen + Bar is hosting Cinco in the Sky, a festive three-day weekend celebration marking the seasonal reopening of the popular rooftop retreat high atop the 9th-level Sky Terrace at Epicurean Atlanta. There will be $5 cocktails, 2 for $5 taco specials, and live music. Admission is free.

ALMA COCINA (Buckhead + Downtown locations): The contemporary Mexican restaurant will be celebrating all weekend long! From 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Alma will be serving a special festive menu – featuring items such as fried avocado tacos, short rib empanadas & fried chihuahua cheese, alongside strawberry margaritas, pineapple express shots, and Tecates. Choose your location + reserve

The Avondale Estates Farmers Market will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo with multiple vendors at 10 a.m. on May 5.

Bad Daddy’s is celebrating Cinco de Mayo on May 4 and 5 by offering $2.50 LocoRitas at participating locations.

Cinco de Mayo Mexican Grille in Douglasville is celebrating Cinco de Mayo from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 5 with special menu items.

Del Taco (multiple locations) is offering a deal for Cinco de Mayo. Get any burrito free with a $10 purchase May 3-5. Also, $0 delivery fee on orders worth $15 and more. Restrictions may apply.

Moe’s Southwest Grill is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with $5.55 burritos or bowls at participating locations nationwide. Must be a Moe’s Rewards member. Restrictions apply. Also on Cinco de Mayo, the first 30 guests that visit Moe’s will receive a free t-shirt at participating locations.

Morrow Branch Library is celebrating Cinco de Mayo from 4 to 5 p.m. on May 2. There will be Spanish tunes, a fiesta flower-making tutorial, and other fun activities. MORE INFO

Ponce City Market is hosting a Cinco de Mayo party on the roof starting at 11 a.m. There will be specialty cocktails, jello shots, a Mexican-style concessions takeover, and more.

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Published by: almanac.com

Many New Year’s traditions that we take for granted date from ancient times. This year, ring out the old and ring in the new with a New Year tradition—or two! From singing “Auld Lang Syne” to eating black-eyed peas for good luck, discover different ways to celebrate the start of 2024!

Make Some Noise

Making a lot of noise and light—from fireworks to gunshots to church bells—seems to be a favorite New Year’s pastime across the globe.

• In Thailand, it was once tradition to fire guns to frighten off demons.
• In China, firecrackers routed the forces of darkness.
• In Denmark, they throw plates and glasses against each other’s front doors to banish bad spirits.
• In Ecuador, it is tradition to burn the effigies of famous people to destroy bad “juju” from the past year and start fresh.
• In the early American colonies, the sound of pistol shots rang through the air.
• In the United States today, many watch the ball drop in New York’s Times Square.
• In other countries, many folks wait for the church bells or the chimes of clock towers to ring out.

Eat Lucky Food

Many New Year’s traditions involve food. Here are a few:

• In Spain, people attempt to eat 12 grapes during these 12 strokes of midnight! Tradition says that if they succeed before the chimes stop, they will have good luck for all 12 months of the coming year.
• In the southern US, black-eyed peas and pork foretell good fortune.
• In Scotland—where Hogmanay is celebrated—Scots also hold bonfire ceremonies where people parade while swinging giant fireballs on poles!
• Eating any ring-shaped treat (such as a doughnut) symbolizes “coming full circle” and leads to good fortune. In Dutch homes, fritters called olie bollen are served.
• The Irish enjoy pastries called bannocks.
• In India and Pakistan, rice promises prosperity.
• Apples dipped in honey are a Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) tradition.
• In Swiss homes, dollops of whipped cream, symbolizing the richness of the year to come, are dropped on the floors—and allowed to remain there!

Have a Drink

Although the pop of a champagne cork signals the arrival of the New Year around the world, some countries have their beverage-based traditions.

• Wassail, a punch-like drink named after the Gaelic term for “good health,” is served in some parts of England.
• Spiced “hot pint” is the Scottish version of Wassail. Traditionally, the Scots drank to each other’s prosperity and also offered this warm drink to neighbors along with a small gift.
• In Spain, Cava (a sparkling white wine) is often served to guests for making toasts.

Give a Gift

New Year’s Day was once the time to swap presents.

• Gifts of gilded nuts or coins marked the start of the new year in Rome.
• Eggs, the symbol of fertility, were exchanged by the Persians.
• Early Egyptians traded earthenware flasks.
• In Scotland, coal, shortbread, and silverware were traditionally exchanged for good luck.

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Independence Day on the Fourth of July is an all-important American holiday. Take a moment to refresh your memory about the true history of this nation. How did the founders envision this holiday and what’s special about America’s celebration of freedom?

A Brief History of Independence Day

We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence, America’s revolutionary Charter of Freedom, and the document upon which the nation’s founding principles were established. But July 4 wasn’t the day that independence was declared. Nor the day that the Declaration was officially signed.

So what did happen on July 4, 1776?

What this holiday commemorates is the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by delegates from the 13 colonies. On the 4th, the Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence. This is the day we celebrate the birth of the United States of America.

Refresh Your Memory: The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It was an official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule.

Thomas Jefferson originally wrote the document, but Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, along with Jefferson then worked together to make changes. The final draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, but the actual signing of the final document took place on August 2, 1776.

Celebrating the Fourth of July

In the United States, Independence Day is a federal holiday traditionally observed with parades, concerts, outdoor food, and fireworks. Here are five ways to prep for the Fourth of July!

Raise the Flag: If you don’t have a flagpole, consider a front-entry flag! Before you hang Old Glory, browse the American Flag Guidelines so that you can proudly and correctly display your flag.

Stay Casual: Remember, this isn’t a “fancy” dinner. Look for some Fourth of July recipes for a delicious picnic or barbecue—and a list of patriotic desserts!

Play Games: We don’t care if you’re young or just young at heart. Get out the cornhole and horseshoe games, the croquet, or just the backgammon set if you’re hanging out on the porch! If you’re going to a 4th of July party, bring your own games, as it can be a few hours until the fireworks start.

Fireworks: Whether it’s simply poppers, snaps, and snakes, OR a bigger fireworks display, keep up the tradition. Kids LOVE sparklers. Hand them out one by one to enjoy the magic. Of course, always have adults nearby for safety, as well as a fire extinguisher.

Beat the Heat and the Bugs: Don’t forget to have sunscreen, sunshades, lots of drinking water, and bug spray on hand if you’ll be outside.

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Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latinx and Hispanic communities. The event, which spans from September 15 to October 15, commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large.

The term Hispanic or Latino (or the more recent term Latinx) refers to a person’s culture or origin—regardless of race. On the 2020 Census form, people were counted as Hispanic or Latino, or Spanish if they could identify as having Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.”

Hispanic Heritage Month actually began as a commemorative week when it was first introduced in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown. The push to recognize the contributions of the Latinx community had gained momentum throughout the 1960s when the civil rights movement was at its peak and there was a growing awareness of the United States’ multicultural identities.

Brown, who represented East Los Angeles and a large portion of the San Gabriel Valley—both heavily populated by members of the Hispanic and Latinx communities—wanted to recognize the role played by those communities throughout American history.

On September 17, 1968, Congress passed Public Law 90-48, officially authorizing and requesting the president to issue annual proclamations declaring September 15 and 16 to mark the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Week and called upon the “people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage Week presidential proclamation the same day.

Why the Date of Hispanic Heritage Month Is Important

The timing of Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of several Latin American nations. September 15 was chosen as the kickoff because it coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of five “Central American neighbors,” as Johnson called them—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Those five nations declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821.

In his proclamation, Johnson also acknowledged Mexico, which declared its independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. Although not mentioned specifically by Johnson, Chile also celebrates its independence during that week (September 18, 1810, from Spain) and Belize, which declared its independence from Great Britain on September 21, 1981, was subsequently added to the list of nations specifically celebrated during what is now Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hispanic Heritage Expands From a Week to a Month

From 1968 until 1988, Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan all issued yearly proclamations, setting aside a week to honor Hispanic Americans. In 1987 U.S. Representative Esteban E. Torres of California proposed expanding the observance to cover its current 31-day period. Torres wanted more time so that the nation could “properly observe and coordinate events and activities to celebrate Hispanic culture and achievement.”

In 1988, Senator Paul Simon (D-Illinois), submitted a similar bill that successfully passed Congress and was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on August 17, 1988. And on September 14, 1989, President George H.W. Bush (who had been a sponsor of the original Hispanic Heritage Week resolution while serving in the House in 1968) became the first president to declare the 31-day period from September 15 to October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Not all of the contributions made by Hispanic Americans to our society are so visible or so widely celebrated, however. Hispanic Americans have enriched our nation beyond measure with the quiet strength of closely knit families and proud communities,” Bush said.

In the decades since National Hispanic Heritage Month proclamations have been made by every sitting president of the United States. Hispanic Heritage Month 2022 will last from Thursday, September 15, 2022, through Saturday, October 15, 2022.

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