Cinco de Mayo, also known as May 5th here in the States, is a day Mexicans celebrate their heritage. The day marks a victory more than 100 years ago by Mexican forces, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

It’s interesting to note that while the U.S. celebrates Cinco de Mayo every year, the holiday is virtually ignored in Mexico. The regions in Mexico that do recognize the holiday usually do so with food, music, and dancing.

Here in the U.S., it’s a more elaborate affair. Along with food, music, and dancing, cities with a high percentage of Mexicans take the entire day to highlight their culture with historically significant lectures, cultural demonstrations and other events.

No doubt when you head out to one of the many Cinco de Mayo celebrations this May you’ll see revelers wearing many of the same, generic T-shirts. The best way for you to stand out from the crowd is to create your own custom T-shirt.

It’s simple to custom design your own shirt. Just add a Mexican icon, add text, and you’re set. You can create and wear a new one every year, or stick with a favorite shirt year in and year out.

Here are some icon suggestions for creating your own custom T-shirt for Cinco de Mayo:
* a sombrero
* a margarita
* chili peppers
* maracas
* the flag of Mexico
* the colors of the Mexican flag
* Tequila and/or a worm
* a mariachi band
* a chiuaua
* a pinata
* an acoustic guitar

Now that you have your icon, or your arrangement of icons selected, it’s time to add text to your custom T-shirt. Here are some suggestions:
* Hola!
* made in Mexico
* kiss me, I’m Mexican
* hombre
* chiquita
* I love Mexican boys
* I love Mexican girls
* Fiesta!
* Independence, freedom, pride, Cinco de Mayo
* I “heart” Cinco de Mayo

Once you’ve settled on what you want to put on the shirt, it’s time to select the shirt itself. You have a host of choices, from long and short sleeved for men, women and kids to “girlie” tees to sweatshirts.

Sizes range from XS to 6XL, depending on where you look. There are also hundreds of colors to choose from, but it’s best to keep it simple–you don’t want to drown out the design you spent so much time creating. A good, economical fabric choice is cotton, but just be aware that the shirt will shrink a bit after washing.

It’s a good idea to order you custom T-shirt a couple of months in advance. That way you’ll be sure to get it on time, and if the color, image or fit isn’t want you wanted, you still have time to fix it.

So for this year’s celebration, plan ahead, design and order a custom T-shirt. It’s personal, affordable, and will earn you plenty of attention.