Piñatas

Essay of the piñatas






Introduction
A piñata (Spanish pronunciation: [piˈɲata]) is a container made often of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth and decorated, filled with small toys and/or candy, and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. Piñatas are most commonly associated with Mexico, but their origins are considered to be in China. The idea of breaking a containerfilled with treats came to Europe in the 14th century, where the name, from the Italian “pignatta” was introduced. The Spanish brought the European tradition to Mexico, although there were similar traditions in Mesoamerica. The Aztecs had a similar tradition to honor the birthday of the god Huitzilopochtli in mid December. According to local records, the Mexican piñata tradition began in the townof Acolman, just north of Mexico City, where piñatas were introduced for catechism purposes as well as to co-opt the Huitzilopochtli ceremony. Today, the piñata is still part of Mexican culture, the cultures of other countries in Latin America, as well as the United States, but it has mostly lost its religious character.
History
Most people think of piñatas as a fun activity for parties but theyhave a long history. There is some debate but it appears that its origin is not Spanish but rather Chinese. The Chinese version was in the shape of a cow or ox and used for the New Year. It was decorated with symbols and colors meant to produce a favorable climate for the coming growing season. It was filled with five types of seeds and then hit with sticks of various colors. After the piñata wasbroken, the remains were burned and the ashes kept for good luck.
Piñatas arrived to Europe in the 14th century where they were adapted to the celebrations of Lent. The first Sunday of Lent became "Piñata Sunday". In Spain, this festival was called the Dance of the Piñata, and used a clay pot, which initially was not decorated. Later ribbons, tinsel, and colored paper were added. The word"piñata" most likely comes from the Italian word "pignatta" which means "fragile pot" as the European version used the clay containers used for carrying water. However, the word has also been linked to pineapples ("piña" in Spanish) as well as the Latin prefix "piña"[dubious – discuss] which means a cluster of flowers or fruits.
The European piñata tradition was brought to Mexico in the 16th century;however, there was a similar tradition in Mesoamerica already. The Mayan tradition was similar to the modern piñata tradition, including blindfolding the participant hitting the piñata. The Aztec tradition commemorated the birthday of Huitzilopochtli. Priests would place a clay pot decorated with colorful feathers. When broken with a stick or club, the treasures inside would fall to the feet of theidol as an offering.[1] According to local records, the piñata was first used for evangelism purposes in 1586, in Acolman, in modern State of Mexico, just north of Mexico City. The Augustinian monks there modified European piñatas, along with creation of the Las Posadas tradition to co-opt the celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli, which was celebrated in mid December.
The Mexican Catholicinterpretation of the piñata rested on the struggle of man against temptation. The seven points represent the seven deadly sins. The pot represents evil and the seasonal fruit and candy inside the temptations of evil. The person with the stick is blindfolded to represent faith. The turning and the singing and shouting represent the disorientation that temptation creates. In some traditions, theparticipant is turned thirty three times, one for each year of Christ's life. These interpretations were given to the piñata for catechism purposes. As the participant beats the piñata, it is supposed to represent the struggle against temptation and evil. When the piñata breaks, the treats inside then represent the rewards of keeping the faith.
However, since this time the piñata has all but...