Which Country Did Piñatas Come From?

The word piñata comes from the Italian word Pignatta which translates to - “fragile clay pot”. 

The earliest record of the origin of the piñata is from the 13th century in China when Marco Polo saw figures shaped like different animals that where stuffed with goods and decorated with tissue paper and ribbons. He took this idea to Italy where the name pignatta was most likely assigned to the figure. Italy and a little later Spain adapted it as part of a lent tradition. More and more this idea evolved and became more of a religious one. The traditional shape of a piñata is a star with 7 cones which symbolize the 7 Capital Sins of Christianity. It was believed that the breaking of the piñata symbolized the victory of good over evil and the candy and fruit inside the piñata symbolizes earthly pleasures and riches. 

Every aspect of the event of breaking a piñata has meaning. From the people around you who could either deceit you or help you, to swinging blind folded as a symbol of blindly following faith! 

Today those early traditions are still seen and practiced although the reasons behind the motions are not very talked about anymore amongst generations. Today piñatas can be any shape, cartoon character or generic symbol due to their simplicity in ingredients and simple steps to produce. Here! You try to make your own piñata. 

Here is what you’ll need!

• Large, round balloon – Any size or shape really depending on your creativity.

• Newspaper –This is awesome! Imagine the whole world turning their recycled paper into these beautiful festive creations. 

• Paper mache paste –You’ll need water and flour mixed until paste like consistency in a bowl. This is also known as “Engrudo”.

• Crepe paper –Go crazy!

• String or yarn –To hang your piñata.

• Masking tape –To help you out in the beginning stages!