Be sure to avoid cultural appropriation during any festivities today. Remember that your own culture is already a festival of conviviality!
Actually, I guess the buccaneers were also busily appropriating stuff from the Spanish... who had been appropriating it from the Incas and the Aztecs... who had been appropriating it from weaker tribe nations... hmm. Perhaps a 'festival of appropriation' is what's been going on all along.
UPDATE:
A Clancy Brother trying on a North Carolina accent. He gets it about right, for the mountain folk.
It's funny about the mountain folk, because they diverge from the typical Southern accent quite a bit. In the valley they say "Ya'll," like anywhere in the South; but in the mountains, they say "You'uns" for the same purpose.
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One year I was teaching math at a mostly Hispanic high school in Texas. On May 5, there were some exhibits about Cinco de Mayo set up in the school courtyard that students could look at during their lunchtime. I had a class of freshmen taking 3rd year math- obviously a bright, motivated bunch- who had their math class split by the 30 minutes for lunch. The class asked me if, instead of returning for the final half hour of math, they could spend that half hour in extra perusal of the Cinco de May exhibits. I gave them permission to do so, though if they were a bunch of slackers I doubt I would have. I did inform them that, in return for spending the extra half hour there would be a quiz on what Cinco de Mayo was about. Less than a quarter of the class gave a correct answer to what Cinco de Mayo was about. Oh well.
sinko de Mayo
Most people don't know that back in 1912 Hellman's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the "Titanic" was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York City.
Mexicans were crazy about the stuff.
The Mexican people were eagerly awaiting delivery and were disconsolate("desperados") at the loss. So much so that they declared a national day of mourning which they still observe today.
It is known, of course, as ...sinko de Mayo.
That’s funny, but I think it’s about what I’d expect from high school kids.
“Cinco de Drinko” is what a buddy of mine in New Orleans calls the holiday. Apparently it’s a big day for hard drinking there.
It's been a long time since I was in New Orleans (years pre Katrina), but IIRC, Thursday was a big day for hard drinking there. Followed by Wednesday, Monday, Saturday, Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday.
This afternoon, my family went to our favorite Alabama Mexican restaurant and it was festive. It's family-owned and the patriarch was there, all smiles and exuberant welcome. They were wearing silly hats and having fun today -- at least 3 generations were working. They love it that we appropriate their culture! Not to mention they make a good living from it. The service actually wasn't as good as it usually is, but the atmosphere was so festive, it didn't matter.
We are usually there later at night after kids' games and activities and don't see the patriarch often. We've never felt unwelcome even when we suddenly realize we're the only customers left, but the enthusiasm is a bit less than it was today. I think the staff may have been given permission to imbibe a bit today.
...but IIRC, Thursday was a big day for hard drinking there.
That's sort of the impression I get.
I'd heard of You'uns (shortened to Yinz) as being something Pittsburghers say (thus the term for Pittsburghers "yinzers"), but had not heard of it as mountain slang. Interesting.
Ohand it's interesting. This is the first year I've seen the local Mexican community showing some enthusiasm (outside of businesses and drinkers) for the holiday, driving around blaring ranchera music and flying Mexican car flags or putting a flag across their hood. I guess some of them are now seeing it as a kind of Mexican pride day, because I know it's a nothing burger south of the border.
It's interesting (to someone, I'm sure) that 'you' was originally the plural form of the pronoun, but as we dropped the other forms of the pronoun it became the sole one. We've been trying to sort out the mistake ever since.
Historically:
Nominative singular: thou
Nominative plural: ye
Objective singular: thee
Objective plural: you
Per the Online Etymology Dictionary
Tom, it is interesting! This is what works for me now:
singular: ya - how ya doin?
plural for a few: y'all - your immediate family - how y'all doin?
plural for a few more: all y'all - your entire extended family - how all y'all doin? Might lead to lengthy conversation.
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