Saturday, May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, a time for salsa, margaritas and celebrations. Here is our guide to throwing a fun and festive fiesta.

What is Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken for Mexico’s Independence Day. Cinco de Mayo is a celebration in honor of Mexico, but Mexican Independence day is actually September 16. Mexico’s Independence Day happened many years before the event of May 5, 1862. In fact the first independent Mexico government was official in 1821.

Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the victory of the Mexican Militia over the French army, Puebla, a town 100 miles east of the capital, Mexico City. Mexico City is where the Mexican Militia of about 5,000 defeated about 6,500 French soldiers, hence calling it the Battle of Puebla.

Today the city of Puebla celebrates May 5 with festive dancing and Mariachi music along with traditional Mexican food. Puebla prepares for Cinco de Mayo months in advance to prepare to honor their heroes.

Now that you are all caught up on why you celebrate this special day, follow these tips so you can throw your own fiesta.

Beverages:

Of course, you must have margaritas at your fiesta. Stack the cooler with Coronas and Dos Equis beer. And have plenty of tequila on hand for mixing or shots. Also, serve up pina coladas and bloody ‘Marias.’

For non-alcoholic beverages, serve up some favorites – virgin style. You can also serve papaya or mango juice, Mexican hot chocolate and Horchata, a cold beverage made of rice, cinnamon and sugar.

Food: Mexico has given us some delicious food. A fiesta is not complete without favorites such as soft tacos with carne asada and cilantro or seven-layer dip. Try a new nacho recipe or cook up some cheesy enchiladas or tamales to go hand in hand with your festive margaritas and Coronas. To spice things up salsa is a perfect accent to your Cinco de Mayo food fest. You can add it to tacos, salads, dips, chips, and burritos.

You can have a decorative food plate of finger foods such as hot chile peppers, avocado slices and tortilla chips.

And don’t forget dessert. Sweet solutions include churros, flan and Mexican bread pudding.

Music:

To get the fiesta moving and shaking, whip up a batch of margaritas and then put on some music.

Mariachi music is arguably the most popular form of traditional Mexican music. Mariachi bands consist of violins, trumpets, guitars and sometimes a harp. Traditional mariachi bands have an average of seven to eight members, but, more recently, have been known to include up to 14 members.

Mariachi music is almost always played to accompany dancing and is a staple of Mexican events. Many lyrics contain tongue-in-cheek jokes, and gritos, well-defined yells and screams, are usually shouted during Mariachi songs for added emphasis.

Some mariachi artists to check out are Mariachi Cobre and Pedro Infante.

For other ways to get your guests grooving, download more mainstream songs such as “La Bamba,” “Mambo No. 5,” “Livin La Vida Loca” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” to play throughout the night.

Have maracas and other noisemakers set out randomly so guests can add their own music to the fiesta.

Decorations:

For a quick and easy to way to decorate the room, use colorful crepe paper. It usually costs under $1 per roll. Buy rolls of green, red and yellow and drape around chairs and stair railings. You can add flair to the room by placing sombreros, cacti and Mexican flags as centerpieces.

Also, a large pinata filled with candy and small goods will add fun and entertainment to a fiesta for all ages.

So grab your recipes, grab your sombreros and grab your amigos and celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year. Viva Mexico!

The State Hornet staff can be reached at [email protected].