The history and curiosities of piñatas

Many partygoers think of Piñatas as a party game with its origin tied to the lands of Mexico. Instead, however, the origins of piñatas can be traced back to Italy. Originally known as pignatta (which means “brittle pot” in Italian), piñatas were made of clay. They were often shaped like a symbol of hospitality used throughout Italy, the shape of a pineapple.

From Italy, the custom of breaking piñatas, migrated to Spain where the custom was closely linked to the celebration of Lent. It was at this point in history that the name changed from pignatta to pinata. The piñatas themselves were still made of clay at this point and were known to the Spanish as olla, which was their word for “pot.” Although the first piñatas were simple clay pots, people eventually began to put paper figures in the pots to decorate them. The Spanish piñata had a religious meaning for them. They believed that the piñata represented Satan and was made beautiful and shiny to offer temptation to the innocent who came into contact with it. The candies and toys that were placed inside were the temptations of Satan. The person who broke the piñata was always blindfolded to represent blind faith and the stick used to break the piñatas was said to be the symbol of all good things. This was important because “good” had to overcome “evil” or, in this case, Satan. Once good had conquered evil, spilled treats were said to be justified rewards for living a “good” life.

From Spain, missionaries brought the customs of piñatas to Mexico, where the Aztecs found the custom to be very close to the customs and celebrations of their own cultures. For example, to celebrate the Aztec god of war, at the end of the year the Aztec priests placed a clay pot on a pole in the community temple. The pot was filled with small treasures and was decorated on the outside with brightly colored feathers. Then the pot broke and the treasures fell to the base of the pole. These treasures were said to be an offering to the god of war and would bring strength and goodness to the Aztec people.

Today, the ritual of breaking piñatas has less religious symbolism and is more about the fun and rewards associated with the activity. Piñatas can be purchased to complement almost any theme or character party, making them a great option for a party activity. Party favors, candy, and little treasures can be kept inside the piñatas to explode over the crowd of party guests when the piñata is broken. The consequent rush of the guests and the laughter when the treasurers are called in make everyone who looks smile. To make sure everyone gets something from the piñatas, the party host should set aside small goody bags with replica treasures. The bags, which have historically been called colacion, will ensure that in a moment of fun and laughter, no guest will feel excluded from the celebration.