Students gathered in Driscoll family commons on May 5 to hear about the history of Cinco de Mayo, learn dance, eat food and hit a piñata. Intercultural club and the new affinity group, Brown and Black Girls, hosted a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Contrary to common belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day. “[Cinco de Mayo celebrates] Puebla’s independence from France. Puebla is only one of Mexico’s many states. It’s not actually Mexico’s Independence Day,” sophomore member of BBG, Eva Garcia said.

Garcia invited two of her family friends to come to teach students a dance called bachata. Bachata is a traditional dance from the Dominican Republic that is simple enough for students to learn during X-period.

Many students attended the Cinco de Mayo celebration. Students learned about the history of Cinco de Mayo at the beginning. “We are going to explain some history about Cinco de Mayo, but mostly we just want people to learn about the culture,” Garcia said. Students definitely learned a lot about the culture as well as the history of Cinco de Mayo. Students danced and ate food that many people had never tried before.

Lastly was the piñata. Students from every grade eagerly smashed the piñata until the poor thing finally broke.  Students then grabbed as much candy as they could hold and happily went back to class.

Check out Facebook for a photo gallery of the celebration.