Honoring Cinco De Mayo

On May 5, many of our neighbors, friends, and families celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a day often misunderstood in the United States, but rooted in a powerful story of courage.

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. That is celebrated on September 16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla, when Mexican forces defeated the French army on May 5, 1862. Though the larger conflict continued, that moment became a symbol of resilience, hope, and resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.

At The Circle, we believe celebration should begin with humility. When we honor a culture that is not our own, we do so not by taking its meaning and bending it around ourselves, but by listening, learning, giving thanks, and celebrating the people who carry that story with beauty and dignity.

Cinco de Mayo gives us a chance to celebrate the strength, creativity, faith, food, music, art, language, history, and joy of Mexican and Mexican American communities. It invites us to notice how much richer our shared life becomes when every culture is welcomed with respect rather than reduced to decoration.

Scripture gives us a beautiful picture of this kind of honor:

“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”Revelation 7:9

The kingdom of God is not a room where everyone is flattened into sameness. It is a table where every tribe, people, and language brings something beloved, something sacred, something God-given. The beauty is not erased. It is gathered.

That matters deeply to us as a church. The Circle is meant to be open and growing, a community with room to expand without breaking, where people are welcomed regardless of where they come from or what journey brought them here. Our own values remind us that we are called to be an open circle, a place of safety, shelter, and spiritual welcome.

So this Cinco de Mayo, we say to our Mexican and Mexican American friends, neighbors, and siblings in Christ: we celebrate with you. We honor the history behind this day. We give thanks for the culture, courage, and community you share with the world. We recognize that this day belongs first to the people whose story it tells, and we are grateful to appreciate it with reverence and joy.

May our celebration be more than colorful plates and music in the air. May it be a practice of neighborly love. May it teach us to honor stories that are not ours to own, but are ours to respect. May it remind us that God’s family is wide, vibrant, multilingual, and still expanding.

And may The Circle always be a place where every culture represented among us is welcomed, cherished, and given room to shine.

To learn more about the history behind Cinco de Mayo, we encourage you to watch this short video from HISTORY: “Cinco De Mayo: A Celebration of Mexican Heritage.” It offers a helpful overview of the Battle of Puebla and why this day continues to carry meaning for many Mexican and Mexican American communities.