When I lived in Canada, one year my son asked for a pinata at his birthday party. Back then, the only way to make one was to blow up a balloon, slather it in yucky strips of paste, let it dry, pop the balloon to fill it with candy, and then decorate it. It wasn’t until I came to Mexico that I discovered the actual history of the pinata.

There are really two sources of information here. The Spanish missionaries who arrived in Mexico got the idea from the Italians who got it from the Chinese, namely Marco Polo. He spoke of the colorful decorations shaped like animals that he saw in China. The Nahuatl tribe in Mexico decorated pots to celebrate the god of war. When these pots were broken, treasure fell to the feet of the god.

The Spanish missionaries combined the two ideas when teaching catechism. They added seven points to the pots to form a star that represented the Satan. The points represented the deadly sins of pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth. The blindfold represents our faith in Christ and hitting the pinata with a stick represents how good can conquer evil. When the pinata breaks, instead of gifts for a pagan god, the treasure is shared among the faithful. The treasure, in the form of candy represents the temptation to seek worldly pleasures.

Pinatas aren’t only for kids. I admit I have swung at a few here in Mexico. But I enjoy watching the kids scramble for candy when the pinatas break. It’s a great tradition.