![]() In Christianity, las posadas represent the time when Mary and Joseph searched for a place to stay before the birth of Jesus. Martina: The shop’s busiest time of year was during the Christmas season in Mexico, or las posadas, which means “inns” in English. Para mí, crear algo es importante porque es una forma de relajar el cerebro. Siempre elijo los colores más bonitos y brillantes. Julián: Me gusta mucho el rojo, el rosa, el azul, el amarillo y el verde. Finally, he decorated the piñatas with the brightest-colored tissue paper he could find. ![]() He would get a balloon, put the papier-maché around it and attach the cones to make the star. Martina: One of Julián’s tasks was to make the center of those star-shaped piñatas. El señor nos pagaba poco, pero para un niño era mucho. Julián: Yo trabajaba allí después de la escuela, de cuatro de la tarde a ocho de la noche. He first learned how to make the classic star-shaped piñata and earned around a dollar for every four figures he made. Martina: That’s how Julián learned the craft of making piñatas, at one of the more renowned shops in Acolman. Luego, nos ofreció un trabajo y nos pagaba cinco o seis pesos por decorar las piñatas más pequeñas. El dueño del negocio de piñatas nos dijo: “Si quieren, vengan y les enseño a hacer piñatas”. Martina: Their creativity paid off…they won the competition! And soon, the businessman who helped get them started made Julián an offer - just when he was looking for a way to fill his spare time. No recuerdo cuánto dinero ganamos, ¡pero ganamos un premio! Julián: Nuestra idea fue decorarla con cosas naturales, así que usamos plantas, semillas y hojas de maíz. But Julián and his friends did something different. Usually, these traditional piñatas have ribbons and shiny paper. Martina: Next, they had to figure out how to decorate, or decorar, the figure. Fue muy barato, solo nos costó dos litros de Coca Cola. ![]() El señor pegó los conos porque nosotros no sabíamos cómo hacerlo. Julián: Mis amigos y yo compramos la estructura de la piñata. He said he could help them with the star’s basic structure. To get started, Julián and his friends approached a local businessman who made piñatas. Martina: Those traditional piñatas have a round center with five or seven cones attached, making the shape of a star. Mis amigos y yo decidimos hacer una piñata tradicional en forma de estrella. If they managed to win the contest, they could get a cash prize - which was exciting! There was just one problem, though: Julián knew nothing about making piñatas. In 2008, when he was 12 years old, Julián and his friends heard about a piñata-making competition. Later on, piñatas became much more important to Julián. Martina: At celebrations, guests would take turns trying to break open, or romper the piñatas and claim the prize inside - all while blindfolded! Meanwhile, the rest of the party-goers would sing a song to mark the turns. Y las piñatas son para eso, para romperlas y divertirse. Me gusta romper piñatas porque me pone feliz. Julián: A veces rompo piñatas en Año Nuevo o en Navidad. Growing up in Mexico, he would celebrate birthday parties, Christmas, and other holidays with this festive decoration. Martina: Piñatas have always been a part of Julián’s life. Today we’re heading to Mexico to learn more about the custom of piñatas…and please note that Julián’s story is being presented by a voice actor. If you miss something, you can always skip back and listen again. The storyteller will be using intermediate Spanish and I’ll be chiming in for context in English. This season, we’re exploring customs, or costumbres from the Spanish-speaking world, to help you improve your Spanish listening, and to learn more about daily life in other cultures. Martina: Bienvenidos and welcome to a special season of the Duolingo Spanish Podcast. ¡Había muchas piñatas y se veían muchos colores! Yo conocía a todas las personas que estaban vendiendo piñatas ahí y algunas eran mis exalumnas. Julián: Casi dos mil personas y treinta vendedores estaban en la feria. The town’s annual festival celebrates the whole custom, and this year, Julián played a central role. At parties, the piñata is hung from a rope, while people take turns trying to break it open with a stick and get the treats inside. The brightly-decorated, papier-maché containers are filled with fruit, sweets, or decorations. Martina: In Acolman, artisans like Julián have been making piñatas for over 400 years. Yo llegué temprano con piñatas para vender y con los materiales para enseñar cómo hacerlas. Julián: Recuerdo la noche de la feria en el 2019. He was exhausted, but feeling calm and ready for the day ahead. Julián had been working long 13-hour days, as he crafted and prepared dozens of piñatas by hand. Every year, the town near Mexico City hosts a piñata festival, or feria. Martina: In the fall of 2019, Julián Meconetzin Rangel Sosa had been preparing for weeks for the biggest event in his hometown of Acolman.
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