Ever been at a party where there was a pinata? One of our volunteers in Guatemala had the chance this summer!

Not sure what a pinata is? A pinata is a container made of paper mache filled with candy and/or small gifts that is smashed open during a celebration. In ancient times pinatas were mostly part of religious ceremonies, but today pinatas appear mostly at birthday parties.

Most people would associate pinatas with Mexican culture. They would be right, but the tradition of pinatas goes back to ancient Chinese culture. Pinatas landed in Europe in the 14th century, with the Spaniards carrying the practice to Mexico.

Finally, the use of pinatas spread from Mexico to the rest of Latin America and even into the United States. In Philadelphia where Cosmic Volunteers is based, you don’t have to drive more than 15 minutes in most directions to find a store that sells pinatas!

The above photo shows our volunteer Zoe taking a whack at her very own pinata this summer in Guatemala. She had her seventeenth birthday just a couple of days before arriving in Guatemala. Our local Coordinator, Carlos from Zamora Academy, showed us his customary thoughtfulness by presenting Zoe with the pinata for her birthday, during one of our volunteer groups’ nightly social gatherings.

Zoe traveled to Guatemala to spend two weeks volunteering at an orphanage outside of Antigua. She wrote to us:

My time in Guatemala was amazing! I loved being immersed in the culture directly with the host family and getting to see differences and similarities of our cultures.

Here is a look at what Zoe and fellow volunteer Cassie got from the pinata!