Piñatas

It's unknown where piñatas originated. Some believe they are a Chinese invention, taken to Italy by Marco Polo. What is known is that in the 14th century,  the Italian "pignatta" became associated with Carnevale before Lent because it was then that a clay pot shaped like a dove began to be suspended over the Carnevale crowd and smashed to shower down treats ("pignatta" means "clay pot"). The pre-Lenten practice spread to Spain and was taken by Spanish missionaries to the New World. There, the priests fashioned piñatas to represent Satan, and seven-pointed stars representing the Seven Deadly Sins, so that beating them would be, in part, a bit of religious instruction and a defiance of evil. The rewards, as a sign of faith rewarded, would attract the natives to their sermons. Nowadays, most piñatas are usually made of papier-mache and are associated most strongly with Mexico (though they are still used in Italy and Spain, too). In Mexico, they are seen at most celebrations, especially around Christmas. To make a piñata takes about 5 days, and it's messy work, but children love them, so it's all worthwhile. You will need: Very large balloon, smaller balloons of different shapes, cardboard tubes, cardboard with the thickness of shoebox cardboard, and other things to form the shape Old newspapers torn, crosswise, into 2" wide strips Plain white paper torn into strips Flour and water mixed to a pancake batter consistency Brightly colored tissue paper and a glue stick (liquid glue is too wet) and/or acrylic or fabric paints Wrapped candies, peanuts, trinkets, etc., to fill Blow up the large balloon to form the basic shape, such as the body if making an animal (don't blow it up too full). Arrange with other balloons, cardboard tubes, cones and other shaped formed from shoebox-thick cardboard, etc., to refine shape and create legs, arms, horns, points, etc. -- whatever your shape requires -- and lightly tape them together to keep the shape. Dip strips of newspaper into the flour-water mixture and lay a layer over the form, slightly overlapping as you go, until the form is fully covered. Let dry. The next day, repeat the process, adding another layer over the layer already made. Do the same for 4 or 5 days -- using plain white paper on the last day -- until you have a nice, solid shape made of many layers of paper. When fully dry, cut a two inch circle in the top of the main section, popping and removing the main balloon, and fill up with the candies and trinkets. Replace the two-inch circle you removed, and tape into place, and then decorate the piñata with acrylic paints or fabric paints, and/or tiny pieces of tissue paper glued on with a glue stick. Suspend the piñata on a rope -- from a tree or a clothes line, etc. -- and get a stick or bat with which the children can strike at it, one child at a time, with the goal of smashing it open and releasing the treats inside. Suspending the piñata from a rope so that it can be raised and lowered as the children strike at it makes the game more challenging! To make it even more challenging than that, before a child takes his turn, blindfold him, and spin him around a few times. Be sure the other children are at least 15 feet away so they don't get swung at. While a child takes his turn at bat (start with the youngest or smallests child and work up to the oldest or largest), the crowd shouts directions ("Up higher!" Lower!" Go right! You're getting colder!" etc.) and keeps time to let the child know when his turn is up. In Mexico, a child gets three swings in his attempt to break the piñata open, or his turn at hitting the piñata that lasts as long as it takes to sing the piñata song, which takes about 15 seconds to sing. Dale, dale, dale No pierdas el tino Porque si lo pierdes, Pierdes el camino. Ya le diste una, Ya le diste dos, Ya le diste tres, Y tu tiempo se acabó! Hit, hit, hit, Don't lose the knack, Because if you lose it, You'll lose the way. You've hit it once, You've hit it twice, You've hit it thrice, Now your time is up. English-speaking children could sing the following to the same tune: Candy, candy, candy Inside the pinata Free up all the candy You really, really gotta! If you can't free all the candy By the end of this song Then your turn is over It's time to move along! When the piñata breaks open happens, the children will all scramble to gather up as many of the treats as they can. To ensure that no child is left out, set aside some extra candy beforehand so that all children will have some at the end of the game.

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