noun

• A decorated figure of an animal containing toys and sweets that is suspended from a height and broken open by blindfolded children as part of a celebration.

  ‘The messiest of the activities on offer was the creation of pi?atas using papier-mache and brightly coloured paint.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Top University of Arizona administrators and astronomers celebrated this legislative end run by throwing a party, the centerpiece of which was a papier-maché pi?ata in the shape of a Mount Graham red squirrel.’
  • ‘We went to a party with 2 amazing grind core bands, Dread Knox and Cowboy Killas, a bar with $200 of free liquor, 4 kegs and a pi?ata stuffed with candy and condoms.’
  • ‘They are not pi?atas or Christmas crackers - they are jack-in-the-boxes of death.’
  • ‘I was still the one who stayed on the sidelines while everyone else dove in for the candy after the pi?ata broke.’
  • ‘The small spot is a festive clutter of petite pi?atas, garlands of chili pepper lights and paper cutouts, big windows decorated with a spinning police light, cacti and a coffin.’
  • ‘Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with the ceremonial burning of a pi?ata in the shape of King George, which is referred to as ‘the Guy.’’
  • ‘The evening closed with an innovation, the smashing of a haggis pi?ata, which thankfully contained candy rather than ground lamb's meat.’
  • ‘People like Norma and Allen, who are trying to make a go of a small shop selling flowers and pi?atas near the San Fernando Cemetery, in one of San Antonio's poorest areas.’
  • ‘In increasingly Hispanic South Central L.A., tiny bodegas selling milk, diapers, and pi?atas are replacing liquor stores.’
  • ‘By now most of my readers have seen the picture of the young illegal immigrant girl who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border while hiding inside a pi?ata.’
  • ‘Party officials brought a single Winnie the Pooh pi?ata to lure local families out from their dirt-floored shacks.’
  • ‘Wood panelling lines the walls, and bright-coloured decorations abound, including one particularly large and intimidating parrot pi?ata.’
  • ‘Finally, Charles, Xiayou, and Ashley and Bob, joined in the festivities, including smacking down a pi?ata.’
  • ‘‘Officers began to take the pi?atas out of the back seat, and one [of the several pi?atas in the car] seemed to be much heavier than the others,’ said Vince Bond, a spokesman for U.S. Customs & Border Protection.’
  • ‘Lieberman didn't have any big ideas for us to do in art class so she gave us some balloons, some plaster, and some paint and told us to make pi?atas.’
  • ‘Dodging bullets as they rained down through the streamers and pi?atas, following the volley of shots that substituted bells.’
  • ‘They navigate the Ferris wheel and the merry-go-round and play games along the way to collect enough tickets to win the pi?ata.’
  • ‘And if you behave yourself, I have a pi?ata I bought that is in the car, I will let you demolish it.’
  • ‘The whiskey and stew were in plentiful supply and Paddy's two-year-old son Dylan was bashing a handmade Union Jack pi?ata with a shillelagh.’