A piñata during a Mexican celebration in a German amusement park
A piñata is a brightly-colored paper container filled with candy and/or toys. It is generally suspended on a rope from a tree branch or ceiling and is used during celebrations. A succession of blindfolded, stick-wielding children try to break the piñata in order to collect the sweets (traditionally sugarcane) and/or toys inside of it. It has been used for hundreds of years to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas and Easter.
Origins
There are many hypotheses regarding the origins of piñatas and few reliable sources to confirm or dismiss them.
A nine-pointed star piñata
One version speculates that the piñata was found in China by Marco Polo and brought to Italy. However, there is no reliable source for this often-repeated story. There is no evidence that piñatas existed in Italy before Europeans arrived in Mexico, although the tradition does appear afterward in Lenten festivals. The preceding speculation continues, that the Italian pignatta was subsequently introduced into Spain, but was usually called la olla, the word for a pot. From there, it is said to have been introduced to Mexico, which coincidentally already had its own versions of the olla or piñata. However, there is no evidence that the olla or piñata existed in Spain prior to the conquest of Mexico. Moreover, the piñata did not appear anywhere else in Spain's Latin America colonies until some time later.
In the Mexican Catholic celebration of Christmas, the piñata is traditionally shaped like a seven-pointed star which represents the devil and the seven deadly sins, while the contents are the goods or blessings he is withholding. Striking the devil with faith, symbolized by being blindfolded, releases the blessings.[citation needed]
Making a piñata
Piñatas are made from easily breakable materials, such as straw, papier-mâché, or clay. Traditionally they were made in the shape of human or animal figures, but, in recent times, vehicles, cartoon characters, or corporate mascots have gained in popularity. In some areas in Mexico and Central America, one finds small stores called piñaterías that are devoted exclusively to sales of piñatas.
Piñatas around the world
Today the piñata tradition has been adopted in many parts of the world and has become a more common sight at parties and celebrations in the Southern United States, where they are commonly sold at both regular grocery stores and Hispanic specialty supermarkets. Piñatas can also be found in the North-East region of America.
The piñata's penetration in Europe has been slow over the past couple decades. The only country outside of the Americas to have adopted piñatas for cultural celebrations are rural areas of India.
The Dale, Dale Song
While hitting the piñata the following rhyme is commonly sung:
- 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
Which translates as:
- Hit it, hit it, hit it (or "go, go, go")
- Don't lose your aim
- Because if you lose it (your aim)
- You will lose the path.
- You've already hit it once
- You've already hit it twice
- You've already hit it three times
- And your time is over
Variation:
- Dale, dale, dale,
- No pierdas el tino
- Porque si lo pierdes
- pierdes el camino.
- Dale, dale, dale
- y no le dio
- Quítenle la venda
- ¡porque sigo yo!
- ¡Se Acabó!
- ¡Sigo yo!
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