The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-03-08
A FROLIC In NJ IXIC0
BREAKING THE PlNATA DURING THE
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL.


Filling the Ola.
Christmas in Mexico is not the typ.
ical Christmas of cold and snow ana
ice but one Of bright, warm sunshine,
cloudless blue skies, flowers in Drotu-
sion, trees in full foliage ana a life Of
out of doors.
At least Il weel; before Christmas In
the principal streets Of Mexico arches
nre erected from sidewalk to sidewalk
festooncd with wrcaths of flowers ANA
bunting in the national culOrs red
white and green. Under tine arches
booths are erected, and every toy man
ufactured in Mexico is on sale.
In every Mexican house great prep
arations are made for what is callel
the "pinata' Every child begs ana
scrapes and saves the cenlayos for
weeks and months ahead All kinds Of
articles are made especially for this
ceremony, and every family vies with
its friends and neighbors to have its
pinata more.beautiful and fanciful than
any one else's.
The pinata is really an earthcnwarc
utensil which is in general use for cook
ing. 1t is called in common parlance
an ola and is of brown pottery some
thing like the old fashioned carthen-
ware crooks used in the north before
enamel ware became the fad.
The plnatas are large or small, as the
purse of the purchaser permits. They
are round, pot belled and very large at
the top. They are sold from door to
door on the streets and in the markets.
They cost only 10, 10 or 20 ccntayos,
but the ola is the least expensive part
of the game.
The body of the ola for woman Is
covered with tissue paper; then erin
lled paper dress is fashioned; then n
bodice is built up draped TO represent
a loose white waist, and above this is
placed a false face The hair is made
with black paper, braided into one long
plat at the back, MS the women wear
their hair i'm Mexico Sometimes
white tehuana henddrcss is made of the
lace paper used by bakers and confec-
TONERS
A flower pinata is decorated with
large paper flowers in every color of
the rainbow. Red, white and green rib
bOns, forming long streamcrS, and sill
yer and gold tinsel, glass balls and col
ored lights all help TO make the flower
DO Ia,
for dressing these pinatas are endless.
In a large family the mother and
daughters have their own pinatas, and
great secrecy is maintained in the dec
Grafton of the OLA 1t is the aim OF
each to devise as original a dressing
for the pinata as possible, and it can
be made a very eXtrayagant ornament.
In the families of wealthy MeNicans
the luxury of the pinata often mounts
into thousands.
After the ola is decorated { , the taste
1t is filed. The filing consi Is Of pea
nuts, hazel nuts, hard caudies like
marbles, and all kinds OF Mexican
dulees. These dulces are candicd fruits,
nut paste etc.
Christmas night the pinatGs are car
ried in great state into the sala and
suspended from the ceiling one at a
time. All the relatives of the family
are present, and as cousins of the fifth
\ and sixth degree are recognized and
children are very numerous there is
generally large gathering. They all !
sit very demurely on chairs ranged in
Il row around the walls of the room
One person is constituted master of
ceremonies, the eldest son or daughter
of the house. He or she stands in the
middle of the room. Near by is a jar
or umbrella stand filled with apisaco |
canes or sticks. When everything is |
ready a child or grown person is Sc
lected and called by name. She comes |
forward and is blindfolded.
Then the fun begins. The person |
blindfolded is turned round and round |
until she loses all knowledge of where |
the pinata hangs. A cane is put in her |
hands, and she is told to hit the pinata |
and try to break it. She is given three |
chances. If she fails to hit it she sits |
down amid laughter and ridicule. If |
she hits it without breaking it she is |
entitled to a small prize.
And so it goes on, one after another |
being called up, blindfolded and given
cane and three chances to break the |
pinata. Finally one more fortunate |
than the rest succeeds in giving a hard |
enough blow, and, crash, the pinata
falls to the grounds in hundreds Of bits, !
and its contents are scattered far and |
wide.
A wild scramble ensues. Everybody |
rushes forward to gather as much of
the spilled contents as possible.
The fortunate breaker of the pinata
gets a handsome prize and is awarded
the seat of honor. He or she sits down
and is debarred from another trial at
breaking another pinata. AS soon as
the confusion dies down and order Is
somewhat restored another ola is hung
up and the same routine gone through.
So the fun continues until the last pima
ia is broken, and then the prizes are
awarded.
The ninatn marty is the great social