The piñata is a game in which a succession of blindfolded, stick-wielding children try to break a bright candy-and-toy-filled container (generally suspended on a rope from a tree branch or ceiling). It has been used for hundreds of years to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas. Spanish colonizers are thought to have brought the piñata to Mexico, then the tradition went on to the Italians. According to legend, Marco Polo introduced the piñata to the Italians after discovering it in the Orient. Blaufränkisch is a variety of wine grape that is used to produce dry, red wines which are typically low in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character. ... A blindfold is a strip of cloth used to cover the eyes, rendering the user effectively (but temporarily) blind. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... The United Mexican States or Mexico (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México; regarding the use of the variant spelling Méjico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States of America, to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize, to... The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... Marco Polo, after a painting in Badia, Rome Marco Polo (September 15, 1254 – January 8, 1324) was a Venetian trader and explorer who, together with his father and uncle, was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China (which he called Cathay) and visited the Great...

Piñata has come to mean the container itself. Piñatas are made from easily-breakable materials, such as straw, papier-mâché, or clay; traditionally they were made in the shape of human or animal figures (often a donkey) but, in recent times, vehicles, cartoon characters, or corporate mascots have gained in popularity. Straw is the dry stalk of a cereal plant, after the nutrient grain or seed has been removed. ... Papier-mâché (French, chewed-up paper) is a construction material that consists of pieces of paper, sometimes reinforced with textiles, stuck together using a wet paste (e. ... For the town in the United States, see Clay, New York. ... Binomial name Equus asinus The donkey or ass (Equus asinus) is a domesticated animal of the horse family, Equidae. ... Vehicles are non-living means of transport. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ...

The word was also used for the process whereby Nicaragua's former Sandinista leaders held on to property they had nationalized while in power. The successor government accepted these appropriations. Nicaragua is a republic in Central America. ... Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. ...

In Mexico, the piñata is traditionally shaped like a six-pointed star. It represents the devil; hitting it with the stick makes him let go of the good things he has taken hold of. While hitting the piñata the following rhyme is sung:

Dale, dale, dale,

No pierdas el tino

Porque si lo pierdes

pierdes el camino.

Ya le diste una,

ya le diste dos,

ya le diste tres

¡y tu tiempo se acabó!

which translates as:

Hit it, hit it, hit it

Don't lose your aim

Because if you lose it

You will lose your way.

You have hit it once

You have hit it twice

You have hit it thrice

And your time is over now!

An alternative to the second verse goes:

A que sí le das,

A que no le das,

A que tienes cara de conejo Blas

¡Una... dos... tres!

Which translated means,

Bet you can hit it,

Bet you can't,

Bet you have Blas bunny's face

One... two... three!