- Title: Mexicans smash pinatas and sins to kick-off Christmas festivities
- Date: 17th December 2022
- Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (DECEMBER 15, 2022) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) CHILD HITTING PINATA PEOPLE WATCHING AND SINGING ON CHILD BEING SPINNED BEFORE HITTING PINATA WITH STICK / CHILD HITTING PINATA VARIOUS OF CHILDREN HITTING PINATA, GOODIES FALLING FROM INSIDE SMASHED PINATA CHILDREN HUDDLING ON FLOOR TO PICK UP GOODIES FALLEN FROM PINATA (SOUNDBITE) LOCAL, DANIELA CUEVAS, SAYI
- Embargoed: 31st December 2022 15:48
- Keywords: Celebration Christmas Mexico Pinata Tradition
- Location: MEXICO CITY & ACOLMAN, MEXICO
- City: MEXICO CITY & ACOLMAN, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,South America / Central America,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA001741117122022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Mexicans of all ages kicked off Christmas celebrations this week with the traditional bashing of pinatas to shoo away evil and reaping of sweet rewards during the holiday season.
The colourful pinatas are made from clay pots or cardboard covered with paper cones stuck on with glue. Once the cones are dry, they are covered in colourful paper mache.
Many of the pinatas used at community celebrations known as "posadas" are made at pinata workshops located around Mexico City.
Daniela Cuevas, a local participating in a posada in the capital city, said on Thursday (December 15) she was happy to see a waning tradition being preserved as it gets communities and families together.
Pinatas are broken during Mexican posadas, small get-togethers to commemorate Mary and Joseph's search for shelter on Christmas Eve before the birth of Jesus Christ.
The smashing of the pinata at these festivities is highly symbolic; breaking it symbolises a man's struggle to fight temptation and his wish to eliminate evil.
Pinata artisan and seller Maria Lourdes Ortiz explained each pinata has seven cones representing the seven deadly sins, while speaking at her workshop in Acolman, State of Mexico on Tuesday (December 13).
When the pinata is broken by a stick, which symbolises virtue, fruit, nuts or candy fall to the ground, reminiscent of grace and God's reward for choosing the right path.
The origin of the pinata is unclear.
Some say that it was found by Marco Polo on his travels to China and brought to Europe. It was then introduced to Mexico during the Spanish Conquest.
Others say that the tradition stems back to Aztec times, when a clay pot was painted with the face Tlaloc, the God of Water.
Regardless of its origin, the pinata eventually took on religious symbolism.
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