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

From Italy, the custom of breaking pinatas, migrated to Spain where the custom became tied very closely to the celebration of Lent. It was at this point in history that the name changed from pignatta to pinata. The pinatas themselves were still made of clay at this point and known by the Spanish as an olla, which was their word for “pot.” Although the first pinatas were plain clay pots, people eventually started to put paper figures on the pots for decorations. The Spanish pinata had a religious significance to them. They believed that the pinata represented Satan and it was made beautiful and bright in order to offer a temptation to the innocents who came into contact with it. The Candies and toys that were placed inside of it, were the temptations of Satan. The person breaking the pinata was always blindfolded in order to represent blind faith and the stick used to break pinatas was said to be the symbol of all that was good. This was important because “good” had to overcome “evil” or in this case, Satan. Once the goodness overcame the evil, the treats that spilled out were said to be justified rewards of living a “good” life.

From Spain, missionaries took the customs of pinatas into Mexico where the Aztecs found the custom to be very close to customs and celebrations of their own cultures. For example, to celebrate the Aztec god of war, at the end of the year Aztec priests would place a clay pot on a pole in the community temple. The pot was filled with tiny treasures and was decorated on the outside with feathers of bright colors. The pot was then broken with the treasures falling to the base of the pole. These treasures were said to be an offering to the god of war and would bring about strength and goodness to the Aztecan people.

Today the ritual of breaking pinatas has less of a religious symbolism and is more about the fun and rewards attached to the activity. Pinatas 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 tucked inside pinatas to be exploded upon the crowd of party guests as the pinata is broken. The resulting scurrying of guests and laughter as the treasurers are claimed make for smiles on all those looking on. To be sure everyone gets something from the pinatas, the party host should set aside little goody bags with replica treasures. The bags, which historically have been called colacion, will ensure that at a time of fun and laughter, no guests feel left out of the celebration.