Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1905-03-02


tnre OF the Season-Dressing and
FfIaina the Ola.
/ Christmas III Mexico Is not the typ
ical Christmas or cold and snow and
/ ice, but one Of bright, warm sunshine,
floudIess blue skies, flowers in profu-
sion, trees ia full foliage and life Of
out Of doors.
AIT least d week before Christmas In
the principal streets Of Mexico arches
are erected from sidewalk to sidewalk,
| festooned with wreaths of flowers and
bunting in the national colors red,
white and green. Under the arches
booths are erected, and every toy man
ufactured III Mexico is on sale.
In every Mexican house great prep
arations are made for what is called
the "pinata.' Every child begs and
scrapes and saves the centayos 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 earthenware
utensil which is In general use for cook
| ing 1T IL called In common parlance
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, 10 or 90 centavos,
but the OLA il the least expensive part
OF the game.
The body Of the ola for a woman is
covered with tissue paper; then Grim
killed. paper dress is fashioned; then q
bodice is built up draped to represent
loose white waist, and above this is
placed false face. The hair Is made
with black paper, braided into one 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 I'm every color OF
the rainbow. Red, white and green rib
b0ns, forming long streamers, and sill
yer and gold tinsel, glass balls and col
ored lights all help to make the flower
pinata very beautiful. The possibilities
for dressing these pinatas are endless.
In q large family the mother and
daughters have their own pinatas, and
great secrecy Is maintained In the dec
Grafton of the OLA. 1t ID the aim OF
each to devise as original dressing
for the pinata as possible, and it can
be made a very extravagant ornament.
In the families Of wealthy Mexlcans
the luxury of the pinata often mounts
into thousands.
After the ola is decorated to the taste
It is filled. The filing consists OF pea
nuts, hazel nuts, hard candies, like
marbles, and all kinds of Mexican
dulces. These dulces are candied fruits
nut paste, etc.
Christmas night the pinatas are car
ried In great state into the sala ana
from the ceiling one at q
time. All the relatives of the family
are present, and as cousins OF the fifth
and sixth degree are recognized ana
children are very numerous there is
large gathering. They all
sit very demurely on chairs ranged in
a row around the walls of the room.
One person is constituted master or
ceremonies, the eldest son or daughter
OK the house. He or she stands In the
middle Of the room. Near by ID d Jar
Or umbrella stand filed with apisaco
canes or sticks. When everything is
ready q child Or grown person Is Sc
lected and called by name She comes
and is blindfolded.
Then the fun begins. The person
is turned round and round
until she loses all knowledge OF where
the pinata hangs. A cane III put In her
hands, and she ia told to hit the pinata
and try to break It She Is given three
chances. Ii she fails to hit ii she sits
down amid laughter and ridicule. lie
she hits It without breaking it she is
entitled to small prize.
And 40 1t goes on. one after another
being called up, blindfolded ana given q
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 /
TAILS to the grounds In hundreds Of bits. /
and is contents are scattered far and l
wide.
a wild scramble ensues. Everybody 1
PUSHES forward to gather as much az
ne spilled contents as possible.
The fortunate breaker OF the pinata l
sets 7 handsome prize and 10 awarded /
ne seat Of homer. He or she sits down /
md il debarred from another trial af
breaking another pinata. AS soon dis l
ne confusion dies down and order Is
omewhat restored anotlcr Ola il hung |
10 and the same routine gone through.
70 the fun continues until che last pina- /
= e broken. and then the prizes are
lwarded
The pinata party IL the great social
md fun making feature Of the Christ
mas season. After the pinatas have L
,een broken and & sumner has hMan