Most people think of piñatas today as a fun activity for parties. Children love them. The history of the piñata is fascinating and reveals many interesting facts about piñatas that go beyond the playing of a game, though piñatas certainly have always been intended for fun.
Piñatas may have originated in China. Marco Polo discovered the Chinese fashioning figures of cows, oxen or buffaloes, covered with colored paper and adorned with harnesses and trappings. Special colors traditionally greeted the New Year. When the mandarins knocked the figure hard with sticks of various colors, seeds spilled forth. After burning the remains, people gathered the ashes for good luck throughout the year.
When this custom passed into Europe in the 14th century, it adapted to the celebrations of Lent. The first Sunday became ‘Piñata Sunday’. The Italian word ‘pignatta’ means "fragile pot." Originally, all piñatas were made of clay pots (usually in the shape of a pineapple in Italy), but today, many are made of paper-maché
When the custom spread to Spain, the first Sunday in Lent became a fiesta called the ‘Dance of the Piñata’. The Spanish called the game piñata. The actual clay container was called an olla, the Spanish word for pot. At first, la olla was not decorated. Later, ribbons, tinsel and fringed paper were added and wrapped around the pot.
At the beginning of the 16th century the Spanish missionaries to North America used the piñata to attract converts to their ceremonies. The Aztecs readily accepted them because they had a custom which was very similar. To celebrate the birthday of the Aztec god of war (Huitzilopochtli), custom required that the priests place a clay pot on a pole in the temple at year's end and fill it with tiny treasures. The pot was richly decorated with colorful feathers. It was broken with a stick or club, and the treasures that fell to the feet of the god's image were said to be an offering.
Of course, the religious significance of the piñatas for the Spanish was quite different. The decorated clay pot also called a cantero represents Satan who often wears an attractive mask to attract humanity. The most traditional style piñata looks a bit like Sputnik, with seven points, each with streamers. These cones represent the seven deadly sins, pecados - greed, gluttony, sloth, pride, envy, wrath and lust. Beautiful and bright, the piñata tempted. Candies and fruits inside represented the cantaros (temptations) of wealth and earthly pleasures. The person trying to break the piñata was blindfolded as a representation of blind faith. The stick for breaking the piñata was a symbol of goodness, as only good can overcome evil. Once broken, the candies and fruits then represented a just reward.
Today, the piñata has lost its religious symbolism and most participate in the game solely for fun. Piñatas are especially popular during Las Posadas, traditional processions ringing in the Christmas season and at birthday parties. During festivities, people traditionally sing songs while breaking the piñatas.
Special thanks to Wendy Devlin for her valuable research
