Piñata
The
Piñata is a game involving a blindfolded child trying to break a bright candy-and-toy-filled container (generally suspended with string from a tree branch or ceiling) with a stick. It has been used for hundreds of years to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and
Christmas.
Spanish warriors are thought to have brought the Piñata to
Mexico, then the tradition went on to the
Italians. Historians believe that
Marco Polo introduced the Piñata to the Italians after discovering it in the orient.
Piñata has come to mean the container itself. Piñatas are made from easily-breakable materials like straw or papier-mâché, and typically take the form of figures (human or animal) and latterly stars, vehicles, cartoon characters, or corporate mascots.