Calendars:Fine Art Calendar/Fine Art Calendar/20-11-2021 -Event 1

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Make Your Own Piñata

Location: Garden if good weather

Time: 11 am, it should take max. 2 hours.

Bring your own: scissors, brushes, and decorative elements.



The origin of piñatas could be traced to the Chinese New Year celebrations and the representation of animals. From there, somehow the tradition traveled to Europe etc.. until it reached Mexico, where the friars used it as a tool for colonization through evangelization. There were similar traditions in Mesoamerica, the Mayas used to break clay containers filled with cocoa and the Mexicas filled clay pots with treasures and jewelry, decorated them with feathers and ribbons, and broke them during festivities in honor of the god Huitzilopochtli (the sun god).

The current form of piñatas arose in the 16th century in Acolman de Nezahualcóyotl, State of Mexico, when the friars began to celebrate the “posadas” during the days leading up to Christmas. There, the piñata was used as an allegory to evangelize the inhabitants of the region. Currently, piñatas are made from a clay pot, molded cardboard, and paper mache, covered with paper and filled with candy, fruits, peanuts, and toys. Then they are broken with a stick.

According to tradition, to break the piñata people should be blindfolded before they go on to hit the piñata. They also have to rotate thirty-three times on their own axis in order to lose orientation and balance. The rest of the audience forms a circle around the person and encourages them by singing the following rhymes:


Dale Dale Dale no pierdas el tino (Give it, give it, give it do not lose your mind,)

Porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino! (because if you lose it, you lose your way!)

Ya le diste una, ya le diste dos (You already gave it one, you already gave it two)

Ya le diste tres y tu tiempo se acabó (You already gave it three and your time is over).

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<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/a5Fg5Jjp8xnZ7HChOT">via GIPHY</a>