Color of the day: Turquoise Incense of the day: Jasmine Today, in the United States, it is the National Day of Prayer. It is also Cinco de Mayo, a day in Mexico when folks celebrate a major triumph over the French in 1862. Offer up a prayer today for courage and triumph in the face of world, or personal, adversity. On a plain, unlined piece of paper, write or draw your prayer. Allow the winds to carry your prayer out into the world by affixing it to a tree branch in the fashion of Shinto omikuji, or fortune scrolls, or Eastern European prayer scrolls, as well as ema, wooden plaques left at Shinto shrines with wishes written on them. Holiday lore: Don't confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence Day on September 16. Cinco de Mayo marks the victory of the brave Mexican army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the Batalla de Puebla became a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, the people of Mexico demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves against any foreign or imperialist intervention. |