Piñatas

My Spanish classes used to make piñatas for the kindergarten classes in Hampden, and we always had piñatas for Dan's birthday parties when he was young. They've almost become a part of our culture too. And yet I didn't know the history of piñatas until I picked up a booklet about Las Posadas at a church store in Morelia. Las Posadas is a custom that sort of combines Christmas caroling and the pageant: a group of people carrying the peregrinos (images of Joseph and Mary) go in solemn procession seeking lodging (posada). They sing a song about their search, answered by others in the house of their destination. After some give-and-take they enter, and the mood changes from solemn to festive, complete with mariachis and piñatas. The early missionary friars introduced piñatas to illustrate the idea of the rewards of resisting sin. The beautiful piñata represents sin; the stick we break it with, Jesus; the goodies that fall to the ground, the rewards of resisting sin. The most traditional piñatas are stars with seven cone-shaped points - the seven deadly sins. The patio of the Museo de Arte Popular has been decorated for Christmas with piñatas from a contest, including the guajolote (turkey) that follows. They're far too beautiful to break!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING