The Piñata!
You may remember that we explored Mexico in a previous Geography lesson.
We looked at where Mexico is, its food and the history of the country. We also learned about the famous tradition of the piñata!
A piñata is a large hollow shape (usually an animal) that's filled with sweets or small toys. The idea is that you are blindfolded and you have to try and whack the piñata to break it. When you do, all your friends get to run in and gather up all the treats that have fallen out! Most people associate the piñata with Mexico as they are hugely popular there.
However, it is believed that piñatas may have come from China! It is believed that the explorer Marco Polo brought the piñata to Europe after his travels in China in the 13th century. Chinese piñatas were usually in the shape of a cow or ox to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
When the Spanish went to Mexico as part of the brutal Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire, they brought these brightly coloured hollow shapes with them.
By the way, have you noticed the squiggle above the n in piñata? That is called a Tilde. It is used in Spanish and Portuguese to help pronounce a word a certain way. Piñata is pronounced like "Pin-Yata."
Make Your Own Piñata
What you will need: 100 grams of flour, 250ml of water, some old newspapers, and a balloon. And some patience as you need to leave the piñata for a day or two to dry.
ALL the instructions can and the full lesson are here in this activity sheet to download
Make a Tiger!
Múinteoir John told us that the piñata comes from China and it was used to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year does not occur on 1 January like it does in Ireland.
In China, the New Year is calculated based on the lunar cycle or moon. That means the Chinese New Year changes each year, but it will always be sometime between 21 January and 20 February.
In Chinese tradition, each year is named after one of twelve animals. 2021 is the Year of The Ox. Next year, 2022, will be the Year of The Tiger. So let's make a tiger!
What you will need:
Glue and some scissors.
Step 1 Cut each of the individual shapes, including the dotted lines. Ask for adult help when using scissors.
Step 2 Once all the shapes are cut out, you can start putting your tiger together. Add the glue on the white spaces where the dotted lines are.
