Cinco De Mayo Flowers & Gifts

What is Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration that takes place every year in the United States on May 5th and is literally what the words Cinco de Mayo translate to from Spanish to English. Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican heritage in the US and was created specifically to mark the date of Mexico’s victory over the French after 1862’s Battle of Puebla. In Mexico, the day is commonly referred to as the ‘Battle of Puebla Day.’

How Did Cinco De Mayo Celebrations Start?

Here in the US, California was the first state to celebrate Cinco De Mayo as a holiday in 1863. Californians (many of whom were and are of Mexican descent) saw this day as a new way to express solidarity with our Mexican allies against the French. Decades later in the 1900’s, Cinco de Mayo was celebrated across many more states and expanded as a way to showcase Mexican contributions to culture, the arts, the food scene and our communities. The day became less and less about supporting the winners of a conflict and more about fun, food and having a fantastic day with your friends and family. Just a note that Cinco de Mayo is not the same day or event as Mexican Independence Day, which is in September.

Flowers to Celebrate or Send for Cinco de Mayo

The Cinco de Mayo holiday is synonymous with lively parades, colorful decorations and exciting celebrations. If you’re looking to get into the spirit of the day or if you want to send someone a special gift to commemorate the occasion, FTD has a variety of gifts you can send or buy for yourself!

Since May is known in most areas of the US as the first real, warm month of the Spring season, why not celebrate Cinco de Mayo with some Spring florals that will bring a pop of color to any space? If you’re feeling artsy, choose various red and white flowers and pair them with lush greenery as a way to commemorate the three colors of the Mexican flag. Roses, carnations, poppies, alstroemeria and amaryllis are excellent choices of red flowers you can use to create your customized arrangement.

For a simpler yet elegant and meaningful arrangement, choose flowers that are native to Mexico. The national flower of Mexico is the dahlia. Dahlias actually originated in Mexico and have been used for centuries on clothing, works of art, crafts, as medicine and for decoration. Other flowers native to Mexico are the poinsettia, Mexican marigold, Mexican sunflower and Laelia orchid.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!