Cinco de Mayo (otherwise known as the 5th of May) is a day to party and to celebrate, and also a good time to get a taste of Mexican culture. If you can gather some festive drinks, colorful decorations and try your hand at some traditional Mexican food….you can throw a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta!
If you’re going to throw a fabulous party, you’ll need to decorate. Colored paper flowers, paper lanterns, and strings of white lights in the trees are a great way to liven up any party in a hurry. Pinatas are a traditional decoration and are a fun activity for kids at the party. The most important thing when decorating for Cinco de Mayo?! Use color! There is nothing mild about the Mexican culture – many homes and businesses in Mexico are filled with vibrant colors such as turquoise, fuchsia, yellow, red, purple and lime green.
Here are a couple of tips for decorating:
- Buy solid color paper plates, napkins and cups using a combination of the Fiesta colors.
- Hang Sombreros on walls, and use them during the party for a Cinco de Mayo Mexican Hat Dance.
- Buy piñatas to hang from tree branches or to use as a centerpiece for tables.
- Burn chunky, vibrant candles all night.
- Drape white lights in trees surrounding the party area.
- Have colorful, wood maracas at each place setting – tie them together with raffia and attach a placecard.
On to the south-of-the-border menu – begin with icy cold margaritas and quacamole, a warm bowl of chicken-tortilla soup. For the main course, set up a taco bar with colorful bowl of toppings – cheese, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, and peppers. Serve up some grilled corn with cheese and lime on the side – yum! And for dessert – try mixing a little margarita mix into white cupcake batter. Decorate with a slice of lime on top – very festive!
Images: party (detailsdetails.com), margarita (williams-sonoma.com)
