the buzz log

Get out your Mexican flags: Today is Mexican Independence Day. But put away the tequila. It's not that holiday. Let us explain.

Mexican Independence Day is sort of serious. It marks the day in 1810 when the priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called for the people of Mexico to rise up against Spanish rule, which led to a 10-year war to break with the monarchy. We of the ex-British colonies can certainly relate.

The day is marked Hidalgo-style with the ringing of church bells and the "cry of independence" in town squares around the country.

But you would notice it's September. So what the heck's the other Mexican celebration that takes place in May in bars across the U.S.? Ah, that would be Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, known to many as the day of margaritas and merry making. Although it's fun, it's actually not an official Mexican holiday (but unofficially, please, have at it). The day commemorates Mexico's victory over the French, and hey, who wouldn't want to celebrate that.

If search is any indication, celebrants are a little unclear on the difference of the two holidays. Lookups on Yahoo! search spiked on "mexican independence day" in one-day searches almost 200%. But related queries for "mexican independence day history," "mexican independence day celebration," "september 16," and "cinco de mayo" were also spicy hot.

So mark your calendar for May 5th, but in the meantime, give a "Vivo Mexico" shout.

Filed under: Holidays

For most of us, Labor Day means backyard barbecues, weekend sales, and a last carefree day before school starts. But the laid-back holiday has some seriously sad history, including chaos, riots, and even death. Let us explain.

A tragic tale
Back in the days of the Industrial Revolution, workers were expected to put in 12-hour days, seven days a week (yes, including kids). Already sounds awful, right? It gets worse. In Pullman, Illinois, a company town that employed and housed workers to build posh railway cars, times had gotten tough. In response, George Pullman cut jobs and wages. It was 1893. Thousands of workers walked off their jobs in protest, demanding higher salaries and lower rents. Other unions joined, refusing to work the Pullman cars, turning the small-town fracas into a national fury.

With mail cars backing up, and riots worrying train execs, President Grover Cleveland stepped in. He declared the strike illegal and sent 12,000 troops to break the strike. Cue brutal protests and bloodshed. The strike was broken, but so was the spirit of the workers. To reach out to the labor movement, Congress rushed the national holiday into law. The bad will resulted in Cleveland losing re-election. But the day off for hot dogs endures.

When is it?
Labor Day falls on the first Monday of September. This year, that would be Monday, September 7. According to the Department of Labor, Congress passed an act in 1894 making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

So, working stiffs everywhere, say it now, with feeling: Happy Labor Day.

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Filed under: Holidays, History

The Declaration of Independence has made a comeback.

Not that the founding statement of breaking from the Mother Country ever went out of fashion. However, dramatic readings of the 1,337-word document have returned, just like in the late 1700s.

The History Channel website gives a detailed overview of how the declaration came to be written, first from Richard Henry Lee's resolution to cut ties to the British Crown, to Thomas Jefferson hunkering over his handmade portable desk, to the arguments over changes and cuts—among them, criticism over the "execrable commerce" of the slave trade.

Incidentally, the National Archives in England just announced unearthing another original copy of the historical document. A researcher came across the find months ago, and by accident, but the Brits conveniently timed the news for the American holiday. As if they could hog all the attention.

The U.S. government archives has electronic copies, for people who want to do their own readings from the almost-real thing. For those who prefer being read to, NPR continues its tradition—now going on 21 years—of airing a reading by its newscasters, accessible here.

Filed under: Holidays, History, Reading, Fourth of July