American bars and restaurants gear up every year for Cinco de Mayo, offering special deals on Mexican food and alcoholic drinks for a May 5 commemoration that is barely celebrated south of the border. In the United States, the date is largely seen as a celebration of Mexican American culture stretching back to the 1800s in California. Typical festivities include parades, street food, mariachi competitions and whirling baile folklórico dancers in shiny ribbons and ruffled dresses. But for Americans with or without Mexican ancestry, the day has become an excuse to toss back tequila shots with salt and lime.
