Pinatas & mexican traditions

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Pinatas are often seen as a symbol of Mexican celebrations and fiestas. They are brightly decorated shapes and figures, filled with candy. The pinata provides a fun game for children of all ages. They are a staple at multiple Mexican holidays, and they have a long history both in Mexico and worldwide.

1. History of Pinatas

   • According to Mexconnect, the history of pinatas actually starts in China. The Chinese used a primitive version of the current pinata to welcome in the New Year. They would fill it with seed for the new year's harvest instead of treats. This Chinese tradition spread into Europe where many countries started using pinatas to welcome in the start of Lent. The first Sunday of Lent became known as "Pinata Sunday."

     When the tradition of "Pinata Sunday" came to Spain, they made it into a celebration, which they called the the "Dance of the Pinata." When Spanish Missionaries settled in current day Mexico, they saw that the native people had a similar tradition of breaking a decorated clay pot to offer gifts to the god of war. So the missionaries used pinatas to try to attract the natives to religious ceremonies.

     The missionaries created a pinata they called a "cantero." It was beautifully decorated and said to represent Satan who would disguise himself to attract humans. The "cantero" had seven decorated points with streamers attached to each point to represent the seven deadly sins.

     As time went on, the pinatas were no longer used during religious ceremonies and lost their religious meaning. Now they are a game used primarily to celebrate birthdays and festivals and Las Posadas, which are processions to bring in the Christmas season.

   Las Posadas

   • Las Posadas are nightly celebrations to bring in the Christmas season. They start on December 16th and run through December 24th. Each night the celebration is at a different person's house. All the guests line up outside the house holding candles and sing traditional songs while a young girl and boy dressed as Mary and Joseph process into the home. The rest of the night, the guests celebrate by breaking pinatas, singing Christmas carols and eating.

     Las Posadas was created by Catholic missionaries who tried to combine Catholic celebrations with celebrations of the native people living in the region to attract them to Catholicism. The end result were these new ways to celebrate religious holidays, which are now considered traditional Mexican celebrations.

   Birthday Parties

   • A typical child's birthday party in Mexico isn't just a child-themed party. It involves friends and family. There is always plenty of food, drink and music. The pinata is an important part of the activities. The birthday child gets to go first and try to break the pinata while an adult will pull the rope the pinata hangs from to raise and lower the pinata while the child is swinging. This way all the kids get a chance to try to break the pinata before it is actually broken open.

     The pinata is a mainstay at birthday parties until the child reaches the age of maturity, which is typically the child's fifteenth birthday according to Mexconnect.

   Pinatas

   • Traditionally, pinatas were made by decorating clay pots. However, according to Rivergirl, most of the pinatas she saw while living in Mexico were made out of paper mache or layers of cardboard. Pinatas are also now made using paper mache over inflated balloons.

     Although the traditional pinata with seven points, which started out to represent the seven deadly sins, is still commonly found at Mexican fiestas, pinatas can now be found in all shapes and sizes. They are often very elaborate and colorful.

   Breaking the pinata

   • During celebrations, pinatas are hung from a tree branch. The participants take turns being blindfolded. They are then spun around and have to try to hit the pinata by swinging a stick. When the pinata is hit hard enough, it will break open and the candy inside will spill to the ground.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: break pinata, bring Christmas, bring Christmas season, Christmas season, deadly sins