Q. I know this is an unusual shaila, but is it permitted to do a piñata game with the kids on Purim? It is a lot of fun.
A. A piñata is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy or cakes, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico.
Each participant, usually a child, will have a turn at hitting the piñata, which is hung from above on a string. The participant is blindfolded, given a wooden stick, and then spun a number of times. As the participants works to hit the piñata, another moves it to make it harder to hit.
There are different historical sources to the game. Some maintain it is religious, some say the Aztecs would also have a similar tradition, However, in our days the piñata has all but lost its religious significance and has become popular in many types of celebrations. (from Wikipedia).
It is a game often played in Mexico's even in religious Jewish schools and homes.
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that if indeed it has lost its religious meaning and is played by Jews also, it would be permitted.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit'a
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