Page:Face to Face With the Mexicans.djvu/271

Rh orange blossoms. But oh! the hapless fate of these earthen brides! They are soon beaten and smashed into atoms by the fun-loving crowd.

The holy figures are left in the chapel after the litanies are ended, and then, either in the patio or a room selected for the purpose, the fun of breaking the piñate begins. It is suspended from the ceiling, and each person desiring to take part is, in turn, blindfolded.



Armed with a long pole, he proceeds to strike the swinging piñate. Often a dozen people are blindfolded before the final crash comes, and the dulces go rattling over the floor. Then such racing and chasing!

The first posada that I attended was impromptu without the procession, litany, or Mary and Joseph; the piñate was a monkey, and my young Mexican friends insisted I should be the one to break it. Being duly blindfolded, and armed with a long pole, while the crowd