Piñatas: More Than a Tradition, a Sweet Memory
When I was a child, one of the most exciting things that could happen at a birthday party was the piñata. At children’s parties, we all crowded together mainly for two things: the piñata and the cake. The latter was always accompanied by gelatin, no matter if it was a child’s party or an adult’s party. But what caused the biggest sensation were the piñatas, that fragile container beautifully decorated and filled with various sweets.
I must confess that I was a little scared of them. The hard, firm blows of the other children warned me that I should wait. Watching the swarm of bodies rushing towards the fallen treasure terrified me. In the end, I always opted to collect the odd sweet that was left on the side. Fortunately, life blessed me with a daring brother. He was the one who hit the piñata hard and one of the first to gather all the sweets. Of course, his kind heart allowed me to choose the treats I liked best.
From clay to cardboard
Another fond childhood memory is when I had to make piñatas for Christmas with one of my aunts. We would inflate a good-sized balloon and glue layer upon layer of newspaper to it with paste. Between layers, we had to let it dry completely so it wouldn’t get soggy and fall apart. Meanwhile, we would chat, drink punch, and assemble other parts of the piñata. We patiently cut strips of crepe paper and made the points out of cardboard.
When the base was ready and completely dry, it was time to pop the balloon. We would make a hole on each side to attach the rope from which it would be hung. Then we would glue the points to the body of the piñata. It was important to make little tabs around the edges, add more paste, and hold it until it was almost dry. “Don’t move,” my aunt would say imperatively. I truly believe that’s where I developed a large part of my patience.
“We used to make them with a clay pot,” my aunt would say as she began decorating with colorful strips of paper. “They broke more beautifully. Now there are fewer and fewer of them, and they’re more expensive,” she told me nostalgically. “But there was always someone who got hurt, I think that’s why they’re not used as much anymore.”
Although you can still find clay piñatas in some markets, the most common material is cardboard. It’s lightweight, inexpensive, and resistant, plus you can make different shapes. But my aunt was right… it’s harder to break.
Fruit, candies and other surprises: the filling of the piñata
“How lucky you got a candy,” my dad would tell me with his characteristic mischievousness. “We used to fill them with fruit, jicama, and peanuts. When you realized what was happening —Wham!— an orange had already hit your neighbor on the head,” he’d say, laughing. “Sometimes, they would put in really delicious candies, with an orange or a pine nut inside,” I’d hear him say while he helped us fill the piñata.
I didn’t experience the era of fruit in piñatas. Instead, they filled them with different candies, salty snacks, and chocolates. It’s still generally like that, however, Mexican creativity has implemented a rich variety of fillings. Toys, action figures, school supplies, accessories, makeup, coupons, and anything that fits can go in as filling. Once, a friend made a piñata for adults filled with medication for gastritis and other ailments. Because yes, adults love piñatas, too.
Piñatas for Every Occasion
“A piñata must have seven points,” my mom would say when we wanted to decorate it too much. Originally, piñatas were exclusively for the Christmas season. They had to have seven points because, due to Catholic tradition, each one represents a deadly sin. Breaking them meant overcoming sins and therefore the devil. The filling was meant to be the treats that would fall from the sky. However, at some point, someone realized it would be fun to extend this tradition to other celebrations.
Although the main time for breaking piñatas is still Christmas, nowadays we can use them for almost any celebration. Birthdays, anniversaries, inaugurations, baptisms, graduations, and even bachelor/bachelorette parties—any party is a good excuse to enjoy the joy of a piñata. That’s why you can find such a wide variety of figures in traditional markets and other specialty stores. Flowers, animals, cartoons, or even the celebrity of the moment are all part of the list of Mexican creativity for piñatas.
A whole ritual surrounds the piñata, with songs, music, and jokes. One of the most common is to make the person spin around blindfolded. The number of spins should correspond to their age. The main idea is to dizzy the participant and allow us to have a laugh at the situation. It’s easy for kids, but can you imagine turning 40 and breaking a piñata? That’s why, once we reach a certain age, we stop counting altogether, or we just spin them a couple of times so we don’t lose the thrill.
We love piñatas so much that we even make them into keychains, use them as decorations, or give them as gifts. That’s why in Mexico, yes, they’re a tradition, but they’re also memories, recollections, and joy.
