Piñata

Apiñata(/pɪnˈjɑːtə/,Spanish pronunciation:[piˈɲata]) is a container, often made ofpapier-mâché,pottery, orcloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated withMexico.
The idea of breaking a container filled with treats came to Europe in the 14th century. The Spanish brought the European tradition to Mexico, although there were similar traditions inMesoamerica, such as the Aztecs' honoring the birthday of the godHuītzilōpōchtliin mid-December. According to local records, the Mexican piñata tradition began in the town ofAcolman, just north ofMexico City, where piñatas were introduced for catechism purposes as well as to co-opt the Huitzilopochtli ceremony.
Today, the piñata is still part of Mexican culture, the cultures of other countries inLatin America, as well as the United States, but it has mostly lost its religious character.
TheSpanishwordpiñataprobably derives from theItalianpignatta'fragile pot,' itself frompignalit.'pinecone.'It may also come from Spanishpiñalit.'pinecone.'
Although today, piñatas are typically used for a fun activity at parties, their origins lie in other customs.There is some debate but it appears that their origin is not Spanish but Chinese.The Chinese version was in the shape of a cow or ox and used for theNew Year. It was decorated with symbols and colors meant to produce a favorable climate for the coming growing season. It was filled with five types of seeds and then hit with sticks of various colors. After the piñata was broken, the remains were burned and the ashes kept for good luck.
The tradition arrived in Europe in the 14th century where it was associated with the Christian celebration ofLent; in Spain, theFirst Sunday of Lent, "Piñata Sunday", became a celebration known as the Dance of the Piñata. As the word's Italian origin indicates,pignatta(alsopignataandpignàta) meaning "earthenware cooking pot", the Spanish initially used a plain clay container, before starting to decorate it with ribbons, tinsel and colored paper. The origin of the Italian word is thought to be linked to the Latin wordpinea, "pine cone".
The European piñata tradition was brought to Mexico in the 16th century; however, there was a similar tradition in Mesoamerica already. TheMayantradition was similar to the modern piñata tradition, including blindfolding the participant hitting the piñata. The Aztec tradition commemorated the birthday ofHuitzilopochtli. Priests would decorate a clay pot with colorful feathers. When the pot was broken with a stick or club, the treasures inside would fall to the feet of the idol as an offering.According to local records, the piñata was first used for the purposes of evangelism in 1586, inAcolman, in the modernState of Mexico, just north of Mexico City.  TheAugustinianmonks there modified European piñatas and created theLas Posadastradition to co-opt the celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli, which was celebrated in mid December.
TheMexican Catholicinterpretation assigned meanings related to the Catholic doctrine of struggle againsttemptation, and used forcatechismpurposes. In this tradition, the seven points represent theseven deadly sins, the pot represents evil, and the seasonal fruit and candy inside the temptations of evil. It was said that person with the stick is blindfolded to represent faith, and the turning, singing and shouting represent the disorientation that temptation creates. In some traditions, the participant is turned thirty three times, one for each year ofChrist's life. As the participant beats the piñata, it is supposed to represent the struggle against temptation and evil. When the piñata breaks, some say (contrary to other interpretations) the treats inside then represent the rewards of keeping the faith.
Since that time, the piñata has not retained its religious significance and has become popular in many types of celebrations, not just during December's Las Posadas. The clay pot has been replaced  with apapier-mâchécontainer.The creation of piñatas has even taken on an artistic aspect in some areas. David Gamez and Cecilia Meade sponsored a showing of piñatas as art rather than just as a party favor.  The 2010 event was called Piñatarama, with 25 piñatas made of papier-mâché at the Vértigo Galería in Mexico City, all original works of art by graphic illustrators, from 23 countries including Australia. Some of the illustrators who participated include 1000 Changos, Allan Sieber, Apak, Ben Newman, Cecy Meade, Cristian Turdera, Cupco and Daniel Berman.InTepatitlán, the world's largest traditional seven-pointed piñata was created in 2010. It measures 11.2 meters, is made of fiberglass and weighs 350 kilograms. It surpasses the formerGuinness record holderwhich was made in 2008 inPennsylvania.
The piñata is most strongly identified with Mexico.The art of making modern piñatas falls under the Mexican craft heading of "cartonería", which refers to the making of items from paper and cardboard. This puts piñatas in the same category asamatepaper craft,Judas figuresand Mexico City stylealebrijes.TheMuseo de Arte Popularheld the first "Concurso de Piñatas Mexicanas" (Mexican Piñata Contest) in 2007 with prizes of 15,000, 10,000 and 5,000 pesos. The purpose of the contest is to help retain this tradition and help it to be continued to be valued.TheMuseo del CaracolinMexico Cityheld a workshop on how to make traditional piñatas, as part of its outreach program to the public.
While the religious significance has been mostly lost, the ceremony that occurs with it has remained mostly intact. Piñatas remain most popular duringLas Posadaswithbirthday partiescoming in second. Each participant, usually a child, will have a turn at hitting the piñata, which is hung from above on astring. The participant isblindfolded, given a wooden stick, and then spun a number of times. As the participants works to hit the piñata, another moves it to make it harder to hit. There is a time limit to any one person's attempts, which is marked out by the singing of a traditional song, "Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino".
Piñatas were traditionally made with a clay pot base and many artisans make a living selling just the pot for people to decorate as they wish. However, clay pot piñatas have mostly been replaced by those made with cardboard andpapier-mâché, usually fashioned over balloons.One reason for this is that broken pot pieces can be dangerous to children.These are then decorated with crepe paper, other colored paper and other items.Piñatas today come in all shapes and sizes, with many representing cartoon or other characters known to most children. Popular shapes today can includeBatman,Superman,Spider-Manor characters based on popular movies and television shows such asNemo,the Lion Kingand more. For Christmas, the traditional style with the points is popular as it is associated with theStar of Bethlehem.However, for the most part, piñata designs have been completely commercialized.
Traditionally in Mexico, especially at Christmas, piñatas are filled with fruit and candies such asguavas, oranges,jicamas, pieces of sugar cane,tejocotesand wrapped candies. Some piñatas are "traps" filled with flour,confettior water. Special baskets of treats may be given to children who come up empty handed after a piñata is broken. These are called colaciónes and are given to prevent hurt feelings.
There are a number of localities in Mexico that specialize in the making of piñatas for sale.Acolman, the origin of piñatas, along with neighboringOtumbaare one.Acolman hosts an annual National Piñata Fair. This event includes cultural events, workshops on the making of piñatas, piñata contests and traditional Posadas. The event has attracted as many as 100,000 visitors over the days that it is held, many of whom come from Mexico City.
About 400 families in the town of San Juan de la Puerta, in the south of theCuerámaromunicipality inGuanajuato, are dedicated to the creation of piñatas, and produce about 16,000 pieces each month. The making of piñatas supports about half of the people in the town. It is the second most important economic activity after agriculture. This tradition began in 1960 by Juan Remigio Anguiano, who brought the craft to the town after living in Mexico City. Today, piñatas from the town are sold in various parts of the state.
In the penal facility ofHuajuapan de León, prisoners make piñatas to sell. This began when several prisoners brought the craft with them when they were incarcerated about twenty years ago. These piñatas have become traditional for the population of the city for Christmas.
The busiest time for the sale of piñatas in Mexico is December for posadas. During bad economic times, sales of piñatas can fall as much as thirty percent as they did in 2008.
The star shape, or ball with points, still remains popular for the Christmas season, but for other events, traditional designs such as donkeys have almost entirely beenreplaced by cartoon characters based on U.S. movies and television shows.However, most of the piñatas produced based on these images are not following copyright law,which has caused problems. Copyright holders such asMarvel Comicshave complained about infringement by piñata makers in Mexico. Federal authorities have responded by seizing such merchandise in stores in various areas of Mexico City. Vendors complain that they have sold these piñatas for decades and never have had problems.Those who have run into problems with copyright law state that it is difficult to sell other types as most customers prefer to buy those based on popular characters.Mexico exports piñatas to the United States and other parts of the world, but copyright has been an issue there as well.Piñatas based onDisneyand other characters have been seized at the border for violating U.S. copyright law.Some have also been seized and destroyed by customs agents under suspect of hiding drugs.
One niche market for piñatas in Mexico is of those themed for adults. These include political figures, especially those who are not particularly liked.Another type for the adult market are sexually-themed piñatas, mostly those in the form of exotic dancers and strippers. Of the female of this type, the most popular are blondes. For the male, darker shades are preferred.These piñatas will be filled with adult items such as condoms in addition to candy.
Piñatas are similarly popular in a number of other Latin American countries as well.
Piñatas have also become popular in Mexican-American and other Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States, as well as non-Hispanic populations. They are used for birthday parties,ChristmasandCinco de Mayocelebrations.
The 2006 video gameViva Piñatais about a world where piñatas compete to be chosen for children's birthday parties. A spinoff television show, also titledViva Piñatawas created to push sales of theXboxgame created byMicrosoft.
A similar tradition inDenmarkisslå katten af tønden("hit the cat out of the barrel") in which a wooden barrel is struck to release candy.
InCatalonia, a Christmastide tradition known as"fer cagar el tió"("making the log defecate") is observed. A log is wrapped with a blanket several days in advance of Christmas and is "fed" grass. On Christmas Eve, the log is repeatedly struck with sticks in order to make the log "defecate". The blanket is then removed to reveal the gifts that have been "expelled" by the log.
InItalyfeasts with a game similar topiñata, calledpentolaccia, used to be celebrated the first Sunday of Lent.
InMaharashtra, India, another similar tradition calledDahi Handiis observed on the festival ofJanmashtami,Lord Krishna's birthday. The iconography represents Lord Krishna's childhood portrayal as the mischievousMaakhan Chor(butter thief). Clay pots filled with buttermilk, money or treats, in lieu of butter, are hung in public squares or on streets at a height implicitly challenging youngsters to break them. Teams put in great planning, skill and effort to formhuman pyramids, each higher than the other, in an attempt to break the pot and claim the prize.
InSouth Indianvillages, festivals feature a competition called Uri adithal (Pot breaking with blindfold) which closely resembles the piñata event.
InJapan, a similar game calledsuikawariis played where awatermelonshell is used.
ThePhilippineshas a pinata-based game calledhampas-palayokorpukpok-palayok(hit-the-pot), which is played during Filipino fiestas and traditional parties (e.g., birthdays). Unlike papier mache, a clay pot filled with treats and/or prizes is used. Historians state that the pinata was brought by Spanish colonizers when the Philippines was a colony of Spain.
Like the Philippines,Vietnamesetraditional custom also features the gameđập nêu(pot-hitting).