History of the Piñata Today, most people think of piñatas as a party favor that is made of paper mache and clothed in bright colors that is filled with candy and toys. When it is busted with a stick, children scurry about to pick up the candy but, the Piñata has a much more rich history than just being a fun activity enjoyed by many. The foundation of the Piñatas may have originally originated in China, but at that time was not known as such. Not until the late 14th century when an Italian explorer by the name of Marco Polo visited China and was intrigued by the Chinese ritual that was practiced every New Year. He observed the Chinese people fashioning figures of shapes cut out of cows, oxen and buffaloes, they filled the shapes with seeds and then they covered the shapes with colored paper and adorned them with harnesses and trappings. They used a blend of special colors, to bring in the New Year. The figures were then hung high up and then knocked hard with colored sticks, the seeds spilled to the ground and the remains were burned and the people gathered the ashes for good luck for the New Year. This custom passed into Europe around about the 14th century where it was adapted into the celebration of Lent; the first Sunday became known as Piñata Sunday which is the first Sunday after Ash Wednesday.
Around the 16th century this custom started to spread into Spain. Within the Spanish culture, the first Sunday that was known as lent became a fiesta, called ‘Dance of the Piñata’. This is where the Piñata ideal was coined. It was brought to Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors in early 16th century. In the earlier days the Spanish missionaries used the Piñata as a tool to attract and convert the Aztec Indians to Christianity, through religious ceremonies. In these ceremonies, the missionaries used ceremony clay pot called canteros they were decorated with colored paper and had seven cones, during that time the seven cones represented the seven deadly sins (greed, gluttony, pride, envy, wrath, sloth and lust). The partakers or (converts) were blindfolded to signify blind faith and then they were spun 33 times in remembrance of the years Christ lived. The piñata were hung high in the air. As each participant looked up, it showed faithfulness because the people believed turning to the heavens would provide guidance when needed. The stick itself represented faith. When the piñata was broken, faith had conquered sin. The contents of the piñata symbolized the rewards for the faithful. The piñata were filled with candy, fruit and coins which represented the temptation of Satan, when the piñata was broken the items fell to the ground, that represented goodness and faith that was shared among the believers.
The Mexican Indians did not embrace the piñatas, for the purpose intended by the Spanish missionaries unlike the Aztec Indians did, as a result the meaning of the piñatas was changed by indigenous people of Mexico.
Today, the traditional star piñatas are still used in religious ceremonies called Posadas although in the past, the seven pointed star represented sin. Today, it represents the Star of Bethlehem that led Pilgrims to the Christ’s Nativity. The Posadas takes place nine days before Dec 24th and is meant to re-enact Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem. The nine nights of posadas leading up to Christmas are said to represent the nine months that Jesus spent in Mary's womb, and/or to represent the nine days journey to Bethlehem. During the re-enactment each family gets together in the neighborhood and will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th. Beginning the Posada, family, friends, and neighbors divide themselves into two groups the Peregrinos (pilgrims) and innkeepers. The Peregrinos (pilgrims) walked to different houses holding white candles and singing Posada songs while they asked for shelter. The peregrinos where refused at each shelter until they finally reach the innkeepers where they were welcomed to stay. This is the house that hosted the Posada for the evening. Every home had a different nativity scene throughout the journey to Bethlehem. At the end of each night's journey, Christmas carols were sung and then the children broke open the star-shaped piñata that represented the star of Bethlehem. When the Piñata was broken, the children enjoyed getting the candy and fruit that was hidden inside the piñata as it fell to the ground, then there was a big celebration that everyone enjoyed. Presently, piñatas come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors are usually filled with candy, toys, confetti, and other treasures. Today, piñata are used mostly for fun activities rather than religious purposes. The children are still blindfolded and spun around usually once for each year of their age. Most people enjoy watching kids swing at a piñata hanging from a tree. A Piñata is a fun activity that can be incorporated into any party or festivity that can be enjoyed by all, but it also is hold very sacred values within different cultures.