Piñata Christmas

Have you ever dreamed of being under an avalanche of candy, goodies, and presents, where you could keep whatever you could stuff into your pockets or carry in your hands? For the children of the Lucero Branch in Salt Lake City, this dream becomes a reality each year at the annual branch piñata Christmas party! The piñata, a part of traditional Mexican Christmas celebrations, is a decorated pottery jar or hollow papier mache figure filled with candy, nuts, dried fruit, and small gifts. Blindfolded children take turns swinging a long stick or bat at the piñata that is suspended from the ceiling. When the piñata is finally broken and the contents tumble out, the waiting children scramble eagerly for their share of the treasure. The month before the party branch members are busy tearing, pasting, folding, cutting, and making 150 piñatas to decorate the hall. People in the branch, from toddlers to grandparents, help in the preparations for the festival that has been a tradition for twenty years. Many members spend long hours practicing Mexican songs and dances—the Zapateado or “stamping dance” from Vera Cruz and the favorite Mexican hat dance—for performance in the elaborately costumed program. Other branch members prepare zesty Latin American foods to be sold at booths during the evening. Everyone contributes something to the celebration, creating a wonderful feeling of love and branch unity that is so much a part of the true spirit of Christmas!

Photos by Marilyn Erd and Eldon Linschoten