Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-12-16

Christmas in Mexico, Not the typi. cal Christmas We know, of cold ant snow and ice, but one of bright, warn sunshine, deep cloudless, blue skies flowers in profusion, trees in full foli
 age of multi-shaded greens, a life ou of doors because one simply eanno remain indoors when nature holds forth such tempting allurements.
 At least week before Christmas, in ill the principal streets of Mexico arches are erected from sidewalk to sidewalk festooned with Wreaths oi flowers ad bunting in the national col ors-red, white and green. Under the arches Of the portales, running to the south of the Zocolo, booths are erected and every imaginable toy manufactured in Mexico is on sale.
 In every Mexican house, whether of the upper or lower class, great prepa- rations are made for what is called the "Pinata.' Evey child begs and
  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 on else'S.
 The pinata is really an earthenWare NtUnsu which is in general use for cooking. It is called in common par lance an olla and is of brown pottery, something like the Old-fashiOned ear thenware crooks used in the north, before enamelware became .the fad
 These 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 only cost ten, fifteen or twenty centaycs. but the olla is the least expensive part of the game.
 The body of fh eolla for the woman is covered with tissue paper then a crinkled paper dress skirt is fashion ed of all ugly shade Of red-that is. if you would have your woman look na- tural-then 8 bodice is built up, drap- ed to represent t loose waist, and above this is placed a false face. The hair is made With black paper, braid- ed into one long plait at the back, as the women wear their hair in Mexico. Over this q blue rebosa is draped, l and sometimes i white tehuana head dress is made of the lace paper used by bakers aHd confectiouers
 Some Christmas Decorations.
 A flower piuata is decorated with large paper flowers ia every color of ! the rainbow Red, white and green ribbons, forming long streamers, and [ silver and e0ld tinsel. glass balls and i colored lights all help to make the flower piData very beautiful.
 In a large family the mother and { daughters have their own pinata and great secrecy is maintained in the dec- oration of tine olla 1t is the aim of each to devise as original a dressing for the pinata as possible and it can be made very expensive ornament. In the families of wealthy MeXicans the luxury of the pinatas often mount into the thousands. In the family of the pe0G 1t rarely exceeds a peso (a | Mexican d0lsar), GftentiMeS but a real ! Ga shillint;i, and yet who can say that the peon family are not as happy with | their Ri3!ataS costing three or four reals as the ns.i,,onnaires with theirs running into tue thousands?
 After the olla is decorated 10 the taste it is filled. The filling consists of peanuts. hazd nuts. hard candies, like marbles, and all k;nds of Mexi- can du!ces. These dutss are candied fruits, nut paste, etc. etc
 Christmas night the pinatas are carried 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 degre> ere recognized and children are very numerous, there is generally a large gathering. They all sit demurely on chairs ranged in a row around the walls of the room.
 One person is constl ed master of ceremonies, the eldest on or daugh- ter of the house. H she stands in the middle of ' I'll. Nearby fs jar or um. filled with thin apisaco ca! >.cks. When everything is req Il child or grown person is selected and called by name She comes forward and is blindfold-
 ed.
 Then the fun begins. The person blindfolded is turned round and round until she loses all knowledge of where