May 5th is Cinco de Mayo! Do you celebrate? I’ll be honest; I’ve never known the history or significance behind the holiday but have often used it as an excuse to consume extra guacamole, chips and salsa. I decided it was time to learn why so many Americans and Mexican-Americans celebrate this festive day.
After a little digging (hooray for Wikipedia), I’ve learned that Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a celebration hosted every year on May 5. It is celebrated in the United States and in Mexico. Mexican-Americans often see the day as a source of pride; one way they can honor their ethnicity is to celebrate this day. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.
That seems like a wonderful reason to celebrate to me. And in order to do so, I think it’s appropriate to decorate your party in true fiesta fashion with papel picado banners, Mexican flags, sombreros and lots and lots of tissue paper flowers. And why not serve food famous in the Mexican culture like chips and salsa, guacamole, enchiladas, tacos and mole? Yum! Then for dessert, why not serve up flan, tres leches or even cupcakes and incorporate some fun printables like these DIY cactus cupcake toppers? They match perfectly with the papel picado banners and help give your sweets a very Cinco de Mayo feel (plus they are free).
Here’s how you make them:
Materials
- 8.5” x 11” heavy white cardstock paper (I like the Hammermill brand)
- Printer (you can use a home printer, online printer or a print shop)
- Free cactus cupcake toppers
- Scissors (I love Fiskars brand)
- Popsicle sticks (I like using the colored popsicle sticks; I’ve seen them at The Dollar Tree, Michaels and Target)
- Tape or hot glue (Double-sided tape works fantastic)
Tutorial
- Download the free cactus cupcake toppers here
- Print on cardstock.
- Cut out the cactus cupcake toppers.
- Tape or glue each cactus cupcake topper to a popsicle stick.
- Place your toppers into cupcakes (or flan, tres leches, etc.) and enjoy!
Now that you know a little bit more about Cinco de Mayo, do you plan to celebrate? If so, how? Or do you already have traditions that carry on from year to year?