The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1905-02-04

articles are made especially for this
ceremony, and every family vies with
its friends and neighbors to have it's
pinata more beautiful and fanciful than
any n else's.
The pinata is really an earthenware
utensil which is in general use for cook
ing. 1t is called in ommon parlancc
an ola and is Of brown pottery some
thing like the old fashioned earthen-
ware crooks used in the north before
enamel ware became the fad.
The pinatas are large or small, as the
purse of the purchaser permits. They
are round, pot bellied and very large at
the top. They are sold from door to
door on the streets and in the markets.
They cost only 10, Is or 20 centavos,
but the ola is the least expensive part
Of the game.
The body Of the ola for a woman Is
covered with tissue paper; then a Grim
kled paper dress is fashioned; then a
bodice is built up draped to represent
a loose white waist, and above this is
placed q false face. The hair is made
with black paper, braided into n long
plait at the back, as the women wear
their hair in Mexico. Sometimes a
white tehuana headdress 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 streamers, and sill
yer and gold tinsel. glass balls and COL
ored lights oil help to make the flower
pinata very beautiful. The possibilities
for dressing these pinatas are endless.
In a large family the mother and
daughters have their W pinatas, and
great secrecy is maintained in the dec
grafton Of the ola. 1t is the aim Of
each to devise as original q dressing
for the pinata as possible, and it can
be made a very extravagant ornament.
In the families Of wealthy Me1icans
the luxury of the pinata often mounts
into Thousands.
After the ola il decorated to the taste
It is dlled. The filing consists Of pea
nuts. hazel nuts, hard candles. ike
marbles, and all kinds Of Mexican
dulces. These duIces are candied fruits.
nut paste, etc.
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 a large gathering. They all
sit very demurely on chairs ranged in
q 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 &c.
lected and called by name. She comes
forward and is blindfolded.
Then the fun begins. The person
blindf0lded 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 1t. She is given three
chances. If she fails to hit it she sits
down amid laughter and ridicule. II
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 a
cane and three chances to break the
Finally one fortunate
than the rest succeeds in giving a hard
blow, and, crash, the pinata
Falls to the grounds in hundreds of bits,
and its contents are scattered, far and
vide.
A wild scramble ensues Everybody
'ushes forward to gather as much of
he spilled contents as possible.
The fortunate breaker Of the pinata
Gets a handsome prize and is awarded
he seat of honor. He or she sits down
Ind is debarred from another trial at
breaking another pinata. AS soo as
he confusion dies down and order is
restored another ola is hung
Up and the same routine gone through.
10 the fun continues until the last pima
a is broken. and then the prizes are
Iwarded.
The pinata party, is the great social
nd fun making feature of the Christ
mas season. After the pinatas have
'een broken and a supper has been
erved there follows dancing, or a tray
ling company of Indians from the
Mountains is brought in to sing and
in native costume.
These travelling Indians are some
like the singing bands which go
round at Christmas time from house
. house in England. Germany, France
nd Italy. They have been known and (
I'll Mexico from time immemo /
|al. The are much in demand during
ne Christmas holiday season.-Kansas !,
isy htDr. /.