Cinco de Mayo POLL

Majority of Americans have no clue why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated.

Know the real reason Cinco de Mayo is a holiday? Congratulations, you’re in the minority!

According to a new poll of 2,000 Americans, only 22 percent of respondents know that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over the French empire.

But just because you don’t know exactly why it’s a holiday doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate anyhow, as half of the study’s participants say they routinely celebrate Cinco de Mayo, with one in four saying they have plans for it this year.

A survey released by NationalToday.com shows only 10% of Americans know the true reason for the event. It’s meant to commemorate Mexico’s victory over the French at the ‘Battle of the Puebla’ in 1852.

NationalToday.com surveyed 1,000 Americans about Cinco de Mayo, which means May 5 in Spanish.

39% of respondents said they believed the holiday serves as Mexican Independence Day. That’s actually observed on September, 16.

More than a quarter (26%) of those surveyed think Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican-American culture, according to the survey. Another 13% of people thought it was just an excuse to drink.