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| Barlow the Birthday Boy takes a turn |
Taking a
careful and considered aim with a brightly decorated stick, the birthday boy swung hard at the piñata. Thud! It sailed into the air, dented, but intact. A family friend manipulated a rope and pulley
system, tethering the piñata. His
experienced hands jiggled it, pulling it higher, dropping it back down,
taunting, teasing.
Come on! Hit it.
Hit it. The
crowd clapping and singing: Dale! Dale!
Dale!
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| Paul teasing the older kids with the height |
With
giggles and shrieks of laughter, a couple of dozen small but very enthusiastic hitters took turns bashing at not just one, but two, birthday piñatas. Bashing until the candy showered onto the
ground, then diving into the pile to scoop up a share of the booty. It was a hilarious sight.
Most of the
parents of the various youngsters were also at the birthday party. When I was of birthday party age, I don’t
remember my parents attending any festivities involving shrieking, over-sugared
children. They wisely said they had to work, or were busy with chores, or doing something really important. Any excuse would do. Here it’s a festive family affair.
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| Oscar - putting up the second piñata |
Colourful piñatas
in fanciful shapes are the centrepieces of birthdays and celebrations in
Mexico and most of Latin America. The
idea is thought to have originated in China, but many countries, such as India,
the Philippines, Japan, and even Denmark, have similar customs.
In the thirteenth century, the famous
explorer-traveller Marco Polo recorded the Chinese customs of covering pottery
figures of cows or buffaloes with pretty papers and decorations. During the New Year’s festivities, the figures
were struck with sticks, and good luck seeds were spilled on the ground. Over the centuries, the shapes of the containers
and the rules for hitting the piñata have changed dramatically.
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| Woo-hoo - good hit! |
Europeans eventually
linked the piñata with Lenten celebrations. The first Sunday of Lent became Piñata
Sunday, derived from the Italian word pignatta,
meaning fragile pot. Traditional piñatas
were originally made from a clay pot called la
olla and stuffed with treats or fruits. The Lenten celebration slowly transformed into a fiesta, the Dance of
the Piñata.
At the
beginning of the 16th century, the Spanish missionaries brought their piñata
traditions with them to the New World. However, the Aztec priests already had a similar custom to honour the god of war,
Huitzilopochtli. They placed a clay pot
adorned with colourful feathers and filled with tiny treasures on a pole in the
temple. When broken with a stick or
club, the treasures fell to the feet of the god's image as an offering. Much later, the playful Mayans changed the piñata
ceremony to a game where blindfolded players hit a clay pot suspended by a string.
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| A lady-like hitting style! |
At the birthday party we attended, no one was
blindfolded, and the piñata was manipulated with a rope and pulley, making it
more difficult for the older children and easier for the really little ones. As each person took a turn, the party guests sang
a short song. When the song was finished, so was the hitter’s turn until everyone had a chance to bash the piñata. The turns were repeated until someone broke
open the cavity containing the treats, spilling them on the ground.
The
laughter and giggles of the players made the day. Piñatas are a great way to up the fun factor
at a birthday party.
 |
| The big payoff! Candy! |
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| Lawrie and his Spiderman cookie! |
Lynda and Lawrie
Here’s one
version of the piñata song:
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 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
 |
| Strategy session |
Murder. Mayhem. Revenge. Romance.
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