Art staff making piñatas
On September 10th Honduras will celebrate Dia del Niño, or Children’s Day, and Adelante is getting ready! Last week the education and art departments teamed up to make some piñata “prototypes,” and this week they’re sharing their new skills with community educators from over 30 assemblies from the north coast served by La Ceiba’s main office. A similar scene is playing out in Adelante branch offices throughout the country, and the plan is to celebrate Dia del Niño with a piñata for the children in every single one of our almost 300 assemblies from La Ceiba’s Caribbean coast to Choluteca’s Pacific Gulf of Fonseca. That’s a LOT of piñatas!!
Hello Kitty!
I took some time to walk around and meet these wonderful women as they busily turn wire, plaster of paris, and newspaper into turtles, fish, helicopters, pineapples, and cats among other forms. Most said that it was the first time they had ever made a piñata, and they were excited to think about how much their children would enjoy beating it to shreds to get at the much-anticipated sweets inside.
Sea turtle in the making
For someone like me who grew up in the U.S., the piñata tradition can be borderline offensive. My own mother asked me once as my son’s second birthday was approaching if we were going to “beat one of those things to death” at his party. “Of course,” I replied. A kids’ celebration without a piñata in Honduras would be like a birthday cake without candles. I was a little worried, though, that he would get upset and cry when he saw his beloved Barney literally being beaten to a pulp, but it soon became apparent that that was pure projection on my part – he may not look like it, but this kid is 100% Honduran. Beating Barney to death is as natural as pinning the tail on the donkey.
Education staff working with clients
Art staff and clients working together
Taking the time to celebrate the children of our clients on their special day is more than just a fun diversion from an otherwise hectic work schedule. It helps us to build a sense of community among our clients and between them and our staff. It is our hope that they will enjoy being part of this community and develop a sense of loyalty to Adelante as a result. Building unity through projects like these, we believe, is key to our growth and success as an institution.
