Piñata

This year, preparations for Mishe's birthday started a few days in advance. With joint efforts and a lot of enthusiasm, we made the first surprise for the party – a Piñata. It took three days to make, as it needs time to dry before being decorated.

The piñata is a Mexican ritual that takes place during holidays and birthdays. Mexicans are known for their colorful, noisy, cheerful celebrations, fiestas, and they definitely know how to have fun. It is rare to find a Mexican celebration without a piñata. It is the one that gives the unforgettable festive spirit to any celebration. The piñata is a fun game that young and old look forward to. It is a multi-colored container full of treats, candies, lollipops, confetti, and gifts. It is believed that hitting it drives away evil spirits.

The piñata has a rich history and surprisingly, this custom originated in China and is associated with New Year celebrations there.

It is believed that the ritual was later brought to Europe by the traveler Marco Polo, who witnessed the making of hollow colored paper figures of animals, which were filled with various seeds and struck with colored sticks for fertility in the following year.

Adopting this custom, the Venetians and Italians associated it with the Christian celebrations of Lent.

The first Sunday of Lent became Piñata Sunday, derived from the Italian words pignatta (clay cooking pot) and pigna (pine cone), as early Italian piñatas were clay pots shaped like pine cones.

The ritual was also carried over to Spain and Mexico, where there are similar ones associated with the Aztecs and the Maya, such as during the celebrations for the birthday of the Aztec God of War, their priests would bring clay pots decorated with feathers and filled with small fruits and nuts to the temples. When the pot broke, the valuables falling to the ground symbolized protection coming from the gods. And the Maya performed a ritual in which blindfolded people hit a pot suspended from a rope.

Nowadays, the piñata has largely lost its religious character and has become simply a part of the Mexican art of cartonería (papier-mâché sculptors), but it still continues to be a main event during birthday and Christmas celebrations in various countries around the world, enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Here is our piñata. Big, colorful and full of surprises!

Required materials:

1 part water

2 parts flour

A balloon

Old newspapers or other paper

Colored stretch paper for decoration

Glue

Rope

Candy

How to make a Piñata?

We choose an appropriate size balloon, depending on the size of the piñata we want to have as a result. Ours was 75 cm in diameter.

Inflate the balloon. In a large bowl, mix the flour and water until smooth. Tear the newspaper into pieces or strips. Dip each piece in the flour mixture and stick it tightly to the balloon. Leave the top of the balloon uncovered with newspaper. Cover the entire balloon in this way. Let it dry and in the same way, add another layer of paper to the balloon. It is good to make three layers.

Piñata Masters

The Piñata is hung in a dry and ventilated place until it is completely dry and hardened. Our piñata dried in a day, as the weather was hot. If it is cold and humid, this process takes longer.

Once the piñata is completely dry, decorate it as desired with colored paper.

Then, carefully pop the balloon at the top, leaving an empty space, and remove it. Place candy, treats, or small gifts inside the hollow interior.

Finally, a rope is attached so that it can be hung on a tree or other suitable place.

And the fun begins!!!