Donald Trump has definitely become the most unpopular gringo politician among Mexicans, at least in the 21st century.
Over the past few weeks his image has been made of goo cardboard and turned into a popular piñata for birthday parties. “They are selling like hot tacos,” says an AP report.
Also, if you recall, on Holy Saturday following the Mexican Catholic tradition of burning traitor Judas and sending him to hell, Mexicans favorite “Judas” was Donald Trump and the giant puppet images were stuffed with potent firecrackers and burnt to destruction. I remember calling the column I wrote on Monday after Holy Saturday “Burn, Judas Trump, Burn.”
The “Beat Trump-mania” will definitely not be celebrated in Mexico as part of the usually solemn Cinco de Mayo festivities to commemorate the first victory in battle of the Mexican Army against the invading French. Instead throughout Mexico those who turn 18 years of age will be sworn in as recruits for the Mexican Army. The president usually leads the ceremony in the Mexico City Zócalo or in Puebla right on the date, May 5.
But in the U.S., Mexicans celebrate it differently and I have heard American politicians call it “Independence Day” as it has been traditionally celebrated by Mexican-Americans usually held on the nearest weekend.
Most of the U.S. born people of Mexican descent, however, are not familiar with the real reason for celebrating this rather obscure battle. But the reason, however, is the Mexican Army leader at the time, General Ignacio Zaragoza, who was born in 1829 in and grew up in now Goliad, Texas. For the Cinco de Mayo battle, Zaragoza invited a battalion of his Goliad peers, by then Texans, who volunteered to fight against the French.
After the Cinco de Mayo battle, the Goliad (then called Bahía de Todos Santos) battalion returned home and by 1863 they began commemorating their participation in the battle, a custom that lingers until today, 146 years later.
But history aside, Mexicans will be holding fiestas galore throughout the U.S. and it seems that the main theme to bash will not be the hated French Army, but Donald Trump’s tuft which will be on display in hundreds of piñatas.
From Texas to California, Illinois and New York, and wherever there are Mexican communities, dozens of bars have agreed that their party theme for this year will be not just fun, but significantly political as they will feature Donald Trump piñatas full of traditional candy and peanuts.
But of course the people will not be bashing “The Donald” with a sticks just for what’s inside but also with ire — as now the literal Grand Old Party presidential candidate has managed to offend Mexicans to the hilt — when they beat up the piñata next Saturday, May 7.
According to AP, the piñatas will come in different sizes including one at Yaquis’ Restaurant in St. Louis Missouri that’s eight feet tall, which surely will look more like a Judas than a piñata.
The idea of the Trump piñatas has already been heard by the Elect Trump organizing committee but apparently they don’t think breaking up a piñata that looks like Trump is funny.
Maybe they don’t share the Mexican sense of humor because for Mexicans, it’s a hilarious image.
