Mexico Celebrates Christmas With Piñatas and Posadas

Mexicans produce traditional piñatas in the run-up to Christmas and children enjoy smashing them up during lively and warm posadas.

Many of the piñatas used at Christmas parties are manufactured in the Mexico City neighborhood of Mesones, where dozens of piñata workshops are located.

Piñatas are made from clay pots and covered with paper cones stuck onto the pot with glue. Once the cones are dry, they are covered in colorful paper mache.

Although piñatas come in different shapes and sizes nowadays, the traditional star piñata has to have seven points representing the seven deadly sins: greed, gluttony, sloth, pride, envy, wrath and lust.

[Luis Antonio Martinez, Piñata maker]:

"Tradition goes back many years after Jesus' birth. That's what Mexicans believe, that it (the piñata) represents the birth of Jesus. It helps to bring the family together. One should forget about resentments, hard feelings and try to keep the family united."

Piñatas are broken during Mexican posadas, a family get-together to commemorate Mary and Joseph's search for shelter on Christmas Eve before the birth of Jesus Christ. 

Posadas take place in the nine days leading up to Christmas. Two groups stand on either side of a door.

The first group carries candles and represents the traditional nativity scene of Mary and Joseph asking for lodging.

The second group represents the inn keepers. Both groups join together in song.

A resident from the Mesones neighhborhood spoke of the importance of keeping up with tradition.

[Resident of Mesones]: 

"There are a lot of single mothers, they have to go to work and children are left out on the street. We believe it is important to rescue traditions we grew up with in the neighborhood and to coexist with others."

The piñata tradition is highly symbolic. The breaking of the piñata symbolizes man's struggle to fight temptation and his wish to eliminate evil.

The piñata itself represents Satan. When it is broken by a stick, symbolizing virtue, fruits and nuts fall to the ground, reminiscent of grace and God's reward for choosing the right path.

Sometimes the person hitting the piñata is blindfolded as a reminder of the person's faith in God's will.