Pinata

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Protect your work area. Making your pinata has the potential to get a little messy, so make sure you give yourself plenty of room to work.

Cover your work area with layers of newspaper or a disposable plastic tablecloth. This will keep your tabletop clean, and make cleanup afterward a breeze.

Keep yourself clean too by wearing an old shirt or apron as well as latex gloves. Make the paper mache paste. In a bowl, mix 2 cups g of flour, 2 cups ml of water, and a tablespoon of salt.

Stir the mixture until it starts to thicken like a batter. Don't worry about breaking down all the lumps; you want the batter to be relatively smooth but it will likely still have chunks of flour in it.

Prepare your paper mache strips. Tear some newspaper into strips that are about 1 to 2 inches 2. This will make the newspaper lay nice and flat on the balloon.

You will need to prepare many of these strips of paper so that you have enough to cover your balloon in several layers.

Choose a shape for your pinata. Make your pinata whatever you like! The easiest shape to make is an oblong sphere based on a balloon form, but you can create anything you want.

Traditional pinatas are made with a ceramic pot as the form, but these can be messy and dangerous. Stick with a pliable form made from paper products.

Part 2 of Inflate your balloon. This will form the body of your pinata, so make sure you make it nice and big. Round balloons are preferable because they will create a larger space for all of the candy.

You may also use a box if you prefer a square shape for your pinata. Add any additional shapes to make legs, arms, tails, snouts, hats etc, using cardboard, newspaper or construction paper.

Tape these shapes on with masking tape or clear tape. Apply the paper mache paste to your paper strips.

Dip the strips into your paste and remove any excess paste by running the strips through your pinched fingers or dragging them along the edge of the bowl.

Apply the paper mache to the balloon. Lay the strips down all over the balloon in a crisscross pattern until the entire balloon is covered.

Leave the knot of the balloon uncovered to make removal of the balloon easier. Complete this step 3 to 4 times, allowing each layer to dry before adding another.

Let the pinata dry. Once you have finished adding layers of paper mache, let the pinata sit until it is completely dry and has hardened.

How long this will be will depend on many factors, including how thick the paper mache is, and the humidity and temperature of the air.

In general, plan on several days. Part 3 of Use a single color to smooth out the paper and to create an even surface. It does not need to be especially well-painted, just enough to cover the paper.

Glue crepe paper to the pinata. This will give your pinata a more traditional look. It is also a festive and inexpensive touch. Cut or tear strips of crepe paper and glue it onto the pinata.

Leave the paper in strips, or bunch it up into small tassle-like balls and glue on. Add finishing touches. Once you've gotten the base of crepe paper on, add other neat details to your pinata.

Colorful cupcake liners and brightly colored tissue squares can be added as fringe. If you made an animal, add googly eyes for a fun look.

Part 4 of Cut a hole for the candy. If the balloon has not yet popped, go ahead and pop it and remove it.

Since you did not cover the knot of the balloon with your paper mache, you should have a small hole already. Make the hole bigger if needed.

If the candy doesn't fit, cut away at the edge of the hole until it is large enough to pass the candy through.

Punch two small holes around the main hole. Tie a string or ribbon to the holes to create a loop. This will come in handy later when it comes time to hang the pinata.

Start adding in candy, streamers, stickers, confetti, small toys or anything else you like. Avoid adding any candy that is not wrapped, Toys that might break easily or is also a poor choice.

Cover the hole. Glue down some crepe paper on top of the hole, or use masking tape. The goal is to prevent the filling of the pinata from falling out before you've actually hit it.

Hang the pinata. Tie another piece of string, ribbon, or rope to the loop you've already made and use this to attach the pinata to whatever you'd like to hang it from.

A hair dryer set on "cool" would work, but it might be easier to aim a few fans at it from different angles. Not Helpful 56 Helpful You can stick on more paper mache layers or more layers for decoration.

Not Helpful 36 Helpful Not Helpful 54 Helpful This depends on how many layers of newspaper you've stuck on. I suggest at least 6 layers for a good strong one.

Not Helpful 28 Helpful It is not necessary. You could have two three coats of color on the base, but it'll take time to dry. Not Helpful 25 Helpful You need to drown the paper strops in the paste, and then remove the glue by putting one finger on each side of the paper strop and pull down over the paste bowl to remove most of the paste.

You basically just need the strip to be wet. Not Helpful 53 Helpful You can use paper-mache paste to wet the strips of newspaper or use Elmer's glue to stick on all the decorations.

Not Helpful 16 Helpful You can make a frame out of wire to make more elaborate shapes. Or you can simply glue cardboard to the balloon.

Paper towels will not hold the liquid correctly and will fall apart when applying. Not Helpful 20 Helpful You can simply use one from the dollar store.

After placing one layer of newspaper on the balloon,it will stay on the ground. Not Helpful 32 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Helpful Not Helpful Buy cellophane and individually wrap bulk sweets if you choose this option.

Instead of cutting a flap open, you can leave a hole at the top of the balloon i. Helpful 8 Not Helpful 1. You may also use a cardboard box if you don't have a balloon.

Make sure the box is not so hard that it can't break. Helpful 28 Not Helpful The star shape, or ball with points, still remains popular for the Christmas season, but for other events, traditional designs for children such as donkeys, have almost entirely been replaced by cartoon characters based on U.

Federal authorities have responded by seizing such merchandise in stores in various areas of Mexico City.

Vendors complain that they have sold these pinatas for decades and never have had problems. These include political figures, especially those who are not particularly liked.

Of the female of this type, the most popular are blondes. For the male, darker shades are preferred. They have also become popular in Mexican-American and other Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States as well.

A log is wrapped with a blanket several days in advance of Christmas and is "fed" grass. On Christmas Eve, the log is repeatedly struck with sticks in order to make the log "defecate".

The blanket is then removed to reveal the gifts that have been "expelled" by the log. In Maharashtra, India , another similar tradition called Dahi Handi is observed on the festival of Janmashtami , Lord Krishna 's birthday.

The iconography represents Lord Krishna's childhood portrayal as the mischievous Maakhan Chor butter thief.

Clay pots filled with buttermilk, money or treats, in lieu of butter, are hung in public squares or on streets at a height implicitly challenging youngsters to break them.

Teams put in great planning, skill and effort to form human pyramids , each higher than the other, in an attempt to break the pot and claim the prize.

In Japan , a similar game called suikawari is played where a watermelon shell is used. In the Philippines , a similar game called hampas- palayok or pukpok-palayok [30] hit-the-pot is played during Filipino fiestas and traditional parties e.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Mexico portal Society portal. Retrieved June 15, Diario Despertar in Spanish. Oaxaca, Mexico.

Archived from the original on April 21, Artes e Historia in Spanish. Archived from the original on November 11, December 15, Retrieved El Universal in Spanish.

Mexico City. Agencia el Universal. December 16, December 17, La Prensa in Spanish. Managua, Nicaragua. December 5, Archived from the original on October 9, February 13, Mural in Spanish.

Guadalajara, Mexico. December 22, Veracruz, Mexico: Universidad Veracruzana. Archived from the original on March 24, December 21, Wall Street Journal.

New York.