> However, I have a feeling that people in Kentucky probably weren't even aware of the holiday, and that's probably the case in other states, too.

Yup. I don't really know where Cinco de Mayo awareness begins in terms of geography, but at *least* New England down to Virginia is largely unaware of this holiday, and I believe that unawareness extends down to Georgia (don't know about Florida) and into the midwest as well. This is possibly because there are very few Mexicans in this chunk of the country.

The first I ever *heard* of Cinco de Mayo was around the end of December in 1994. The Apogee game "Rise of the Triad" was released then. Apogee is a computer game company based in Texas. If you start the game up during any of five holidays, the intro screen becomes appropriately festive. For example, on Christmas, one of the characters in the intro screen will be wearing a Santa Claus hat. Anyway, I researched the game for the Apogee FAQ, and Joe Siegler sent me the list of holidays the game recognized, and I looked at it and thought, "What the heck is Cinco de Mayo?"

THAT is where I first heard of it, and it wasn't until YEARS later that I stopped thinking it bizarre that Cinco de Mayo was chosen to be one of the five holidays and realized that, in Texas, it probably IS one of the five most recognized holidays.

At any rate, up here in New England, we don't really pay much attention to the Kentucky Derby, either, unless you are Leen or someone as enthusiastic about horses as she is. (I had at least *heard* of it before I met her, though.) I suspect "Kentucky Derby Day" is only a "universal" sort of event for Kentuckians and others that live near Louisville. But certainly anybody in the horse world just about *anywhere* will be up on it, as it is basically the biggest single event in horseracing. Not even the other two legs of the Triple Crown have quite the fame and recognition.

> This idea is a bit strange to me, but I guess it just goes to show that a country with 50 states is a pretty diverse place.

Yes, it does. For my part, it seems strange to *me* that we celebrate another country's holiday. We weren't even IN that battle. And I've often felt it just as odd that we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I don't disapprove, but I do think it strange.

But I suppose too many Americans are reluctant to pass up an excuse to drink themselves silly, and THAT I'm not too crazy about. It makes me wonder when we're going to start celebrating, for example, Guy Fawkes Day, just for another excuse.