Coyoacán, MEXICO CITY – Walking into the YJI house for the 2024 Global Conference, we were surprised to see two vibrantly colored piñatas greeting us.
One piñata was brightly decorated with a multitude of colors and streamers. The other piñata bore our Youth Journalism International logo – too pretty to be destroyed!
The piñata event, a tradition we had only heard of, was about to become a reality. We were thrilled to be able to participate in this celebration.
This experience was new to us as we had never witnessed a beautiful decoration purposely demolished.
First, conference students who brought candy from their country took turns filling the piñata with sugary sweet treats. Our piñata were unique as candy from all around the world was concealed inside.
The piñata was now sealed and hung on a string towering above our heads. We watched in awe as students took turns trying to break it with a stick.
The blindfold that the player wore on their turn added an extra layer of suspense.
Waiting our turn, those who knew the “piñata song” sang in Spanish, “Dale dale dale, no pierdas el tino!”
The rest of us hummed along, attempting to match the excitement of those who knew what was going on and this gave a good harmony.
It was now Maya’s turn.
Here’s her account: Handed a long stick, a blindfold was tied around my eyes. I was then spun in a circle three times and directed to hit the piñata. The housekeeper who volunteered to hold the piñata on a string was purposely bouncing it above our heads making the whacking almost impossible.
I swung the stick with all my might. The piñata swayed, teasing me to hit it right.
The best feeling was when you finally hit the piñata for the first time. Cheers and chants from my YJI friends added to the anticipation, making my heart race with excitement and encouraging me to hit even harder, hoping to make a hole in the piñata.
When the “piñata song” was over, my time was up for swinging the bat. I could now enjoy the celebration even more, cheering on my friends and waiting for the candies to drop.
After a lot of whacking, all the colorful features and decorations of the piñata were gone. Only a white, egg-shaped object on a string remained which contained all the candies.
And then, the moment of triumph! The piñata burst open. At last, someone hit the magic cracking spot of our piñata, showering us with lots of candies.
We were unaware of what happened next, so our Mexican YJI friends rushed to grab the candies on the ground. The rest of us followed. We arrived a little late to this candy party, but we were still able to grab a lot of sweets.
This experience was a glimpse into Mexico’s rich heritage and the simplicity of happiness.
YJI’s piñata celebration was a highlight of our Mexico conference. Our hearts were full of delight – we knew we would never forget this experience and this taste of Mexican culture.
We couldn’t wait to share it with friends and family back home.
It was a great time to have fun with our friends while learning about the importance of the Mexican celebration culture.
Most of all, our piñata, full of a variety of international sweet treats all mixed together, became symbolic of our special time together creating new global friendships.
Mayama Opare is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Accra, Ghana.
Norah Springborn is a Senior Correspondent with Youth Journalism International from Illinois in the United States.
