Piñata
container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth
A piñata (, Spanish pronunciation: [piˈɲata] ) is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico.
The idea of breaking a container filled with treats came to Europe in the 14th century. The Spanish brought the European tradition to Mexico, although there were similar traditions in Mesoamerica, such as the Aztecs' honoring the birthday of the god Huītzilōpōchtli in mid-December. According to local records, the Mexican piñata tradition began in the town of 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.
Etymology
The Spanish word piñata probably derives from the Italian pignatta 'fragile pot,' itself from pigna lit. 'pinecone.' It may also come from Spanish piña lit. 'pinecone.'
History
Although today, piñatas are typically used for a fun activity at parties, their origins lie in other customs. There is some debate but it appears that their origin is not Spanish but 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.
The public source identifies “Piñata” as container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Piñata, container and often.
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This entry incorporates text from “Piñata” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.