Posted
on May 2, 2016
Growing
up in Southern California, I have always known about Cinco de Mayo,
which translates to “Five of May”: the Mexican celebration of an
unlikely victory against the French in 1862. Cinco de Mayo is a
popular holiday in some portions of the U.S., and not just among
Mexican American people!
But
I've never heard of Dos de Mayo (“Two of May”).
This
holiday is also a historical anniversary of a battle against French
troops. This time, it was in 1808. This time, it was in the city of
Madrid, Spain.
The
people of Madrid rebelled against the French troops occupying their
city – and the rebellion was brutally crushed. Hundreds and
hundreds of Spaniards died by much better armed French soldiers.
And
then the French moved to avenge their own losses by killing all those
arrested in the uprising and all those possessing weapons!
The
French leaders apparently thought that their swift repression of the
Spaniards would help them maintain control of the country – but
actually, it just made Spaniards angrier, and there were rebellions
in various parts of the country. So started the Peninsular War.
Speaking
of Madrid...
I
got to visit Madrid, Spain, a couple of years ago. Here are a few of
my favorite sights:
- The Royal Palace:
- The rows of statues leading up to the Palace:
- Retiro Park:
- The Crypt below Almudena Cathedral:
Also
on this date:
Sham
el-Nessim in Egypt
Plan
ahead:
Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
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