Piñata
A piñata (/pɪnˈjɑːtə/, Spanish pronunciation: [piˈɲata] ⓘ) is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration.
As the word's Italian origin indicates, pignatta (also pignata and pignàta) meaning "earthenware cooking pot", the Spanish initially used a plain clay container, before starting to decorate it with ribbons, tinsel and colored paper.
When the piñata breaks, some say (contrary to other interpretations) the treats inside then represent the rewards of keeping the faith.
[5][9][11] Since that time, the piñata has not retained its religious significance and has become popular in many types of celebrations, not just during December's Las Posadas.
David Gamez and Cecilia Meade sponsored a showing of piñatas as art rather than just as a party favor.
The 2010 event was called Piñatarama, with 25 piñatas made of papier-mâché at the Vértigo Galería in Mexico City, all original works of art by graphic illustrators, from 23 countries including Australia.
Some of the illustrators who participated include 1000 Changos, Allan Sieber, Apak, Ben Newman, Cecy Meade, Cristian Turdera, Cupco and Daniel Berman.
This puts piñatas in the same category as amate paper craft, Judas figures and Mexico City style alebrijes.
[5] The Museo del Caracol in Mexico City held a workshop on how to make traditional piñatas, as part of its outreach program to the public.
[8] About 400 families in the town of San Juan de la Puerta, in the south of the Cuerámaro municipality in Guanajuato, are dedicated to the creation of piñatas, and produce about 16,000 pieces each month.
This tradition began in 1960 by Juan Remigio Anguiano, who brought the craft to the town after living in Mexico City.
[15] The star shape, or ball with points, still remains popular for the Christmas season, but for other events, traditional designs such as donkeys have almost entirely been[citation needed] replaced by cartoon characters based on U.S. movies and television shows.
[18] Those who have run into problems with copyright law state that it is difficult to sell other types as most customers prefer to buy those based on popular characters.
[10][24] Piñatas have also become popular in Mexican-American and other Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States, as well as non-Hispanic populations.
[29] In Catalonia, a Christmastide tradition known as "fer cagar el tió" ("making the log defecate") is observed.
In Italy feasts with a game similar to piñata, called pentolaccia, used to be celebrated the first Sunday of Lent.
In Maharashtra, India, another similar tradition called Dahi Handi is observed on the festival of Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's birthday.
The iconography represents Lord Krishna's childhood portrayal as the mischievous Maakhan Chor (butter thief).
Clay pots filled with buttermilk, money or treats, in lieu of butter, are hung in public squares or on streets at a height implicitly challenging youngsters to break them.
Teams put in great planning, skill and effort to form human pyramids, each higher than the other, in an attempt to break the pot and claim the prize.
[30] In South Indian villages, festivals feature a competition called Uri adithal (Pot breaking with blindfold) which closely resembles the piñata event.
[citation needed] The Philippines has a pinata-based game called hampas-palayok or pukpok-palayok[32] (hit-the-pot), which is played during Filipino fiestas and traditional parties (e.g., birthdays).
