The other day my neighbors were celebrating one of their young daughter’s birthday with a small gathering of friends and a pinata. I’d seen pinatas used at various Spanish celebrations before, but I never knew exactly what they stood for, or their interesting history.
Thanks to Wikipedia, I found out that the pinata originated in China. The Chinese made theirs in the shape of a cow or ox, and they were used during ceremonies to bring in the New Year. The pinata was filled with seeds, and it was broken with the hope that the scattering of seeds would insure a new year filled with an abundance of food from the earth.
In the 14th century, the pinata was associated with religious ceremonies in Italy, and then the tradition started in Mexico in the 16th century. Those pinatas were made with seven points that represented the seven deadly sins in some Christian religious beliefs. The person attempting to break the pinata was doing so in an effort to resist temptation, and the treasures inside the pinata were an offering to God for His grace as support for those efforts.
There is a website – Seven Deadly Sins – that lists them, as well as the virtues that counter them. Visiting that site transported me back to my childhood when I studied the Catholic Catechism, and today I was glad that Sister Maria was not in my office, asking me to name the sins without looking. I had a hard time doing that when I was a kid, and these many years later, I was only able to name five before checking the website.
Anyway, back to the pinata. Today it is used more in a game to be played at birthday parties, Christmas, and other celebrations. It is usually made of papier-mâché and is gaily decorated with crepe paper and flowers.
While my neighbors were taking turns trying to break the pinata, I was intrigued by the song they sang. After each participant was blindfolded they all joined hands and voices, and soon I realized they were singing the same thing each time, accompanied by lots of smiles and giggles. My Spanish is limited to only a few words, so I had to again go to the internet to see if I could find out what that song was that seemed so playful and happy.
The entire song, in Spanish and English, can be found on Spanish Children Songs, but I’ll share the first few verses here:
Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino,
Porque si lo pierdes
Pierdes el camino
Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino,
Mide la distancia
Que hay en el camino
No quiero oro
No quiero plata
Yo lo que quiero
Es romper la piñata
Come on, come on, come on,
Don’t lose the focus,
Because if you lose it,
You’ll lose the way.
Come on, come on, come on,
Don’t lose the focus,
Measure the distance,
That lies on the way.
I don’t want gold,
I don’t want silver,
What I want,
Is to break the piñata.
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ENDS TODAY – September 17
GOOD LUCK!
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That’s all for me for today, folks. Did you find the information about pinatas interesting? Could you name the seven deadly sins without peeking at the answers? Do let me know in the comments.
Have a wonderful week. Be happy. Be safe.