Pinata Workshop Part 1

Each time I go to the community of El Refugio, Sra. Rutila or her daughter talk about how wonderful it would be if someone would lead a pinata making workshop. So while I was "on vacation" during the Christmas holidays, I decided to organize a workshop. Actually, I did very little. Two days after Sra. Rutila and I picked December 23 as the workshop date, I found out that our friends Hilario and Micaela in Zacango are expert pinata makers. (Hilario and Micaela are the same people we buy the California worms from for the worm beds.) So I asked them if they would be willing to lead the workshop, and the agreed immediately! Here are pictures of the various stages. Some people used old clay pots to make their pinantas, while others made paper mache pintas. (Katey, her 7-year-old son Noah, and Micah participated in the workshop too.) It is tradition here to break a pinata each night after the posadas*, starting 7 days before Christmas. People also break pinatas on New Year's Eve. So we (the boys) have had PLENTY of pinata breaking opportunities (and too much candy!) the last few days. We have the pinata that we made at the workshop hanging in Isaiah and Micah's room for astetic purposes.

*Posadas - re-enactment of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay.