Cinco De Mayo Costume

Cinco De Mayo Costume

As we all know, you do not have to be Irish to appreciate St. Patrick's Day - and you do not have to be Mexican to celebrate Cinco de Mayo either. This holiday is widely celebrated throughout the United States by people of Mexican descent and everyone else as well. While there is certainly no rule about what to wear on May 5th, there are some who seek out a traditional Cinco de Mayo costume for this day.

I hate to disappoint any of you who are looking for a single, authoritative answer on what constitutes a proper Cinco de Mayo outfit, but this is one of those situations where there is indeed more than one right answer. You could choose a few different options and be equally well dressed for the holiday, but there are a few types of traditional Cinco de Mayo costume, which are perennial favorites among those who celebrate this Mexican holiday.

So what are these popular choices? Many people choose to wear traditional Mexican outfits for the holiday, with women donning white blouses which can be worn off of one shoulder along with long, colorful skirts and sandals (known as huaraches in Mexico) and men wearing well, pretty much what men wear in the US - trousers and shirts, perhaps along with the addition of a sombrero or a colorful serape to lend more of a south of the border look.

For a traditional Cinco de Mayo costume which gives a nod to the origins of this holiday, you could choose to dress up as either a Mexican or French soldier from the 1860s (Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of the Mexican army over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862). This is a costume, which is more popular in Mexico where annual reenactments of the battle are held than in the US, but has been gaining some ground here in recent years.

Cinco De Mayo Costume

Another Cinco de Mayo costume idea is to dress up as a mariachi musician. This works best if you have a group of friends to dress up with you to complete the look. Black trousers with white shirts, vests and sombreros are the idea here; you can accessorize with sombreros and if you are so inclined, serapes as well. If you do not mind carrying around instruments as you attend parades and parties, this completes the ensemble - though be prepared to have people ask you to play!

Western wear is very popular in Mexico as well and while it's not exactly a traditional Cinco de Mayo costume, western outfits complete with cowboy (or vaquero, as they're called in Mexico) boots and hats can be a great idea for a Cinco party.

Whatever you choose to wear on Cinco de Mayo is really up to you and your own sense of style; the only truly important thing is to remember to have fun and celebrate our neighbors to the south on this festive holiday.