This is the most popular version of the Mexican Piñata Song that we found. That's based on the number of videos where people sing it on YouTube. We counted 35 videos, when we finally stopped counting! (That's a lot of videos to watch.) We found that this version is sung in Guadalajara, Aragon and Tijuana.

This piñata song is used at birthday parties, Christenings and other special events.

Notes

Patricia Montes sent us a version with one more verse and this note:

"I am fully Mexican from Mexico City and a teacher as well. The song for when we are hitting the piñata is:

Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino,
Porque si lo pierdes
Pierdes el camino.

Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino,
Mide la distancia
Que hay en el camino.

Ya le diste uno,
Ya le diste dos,
Ya le diste tres
Y tu tiempo se acabó."

English Translation:

Hit, hit, hit,
Don't lose your aim,
Because if you lose it,
You'll lose the way.

Hit, hit, hit,
Don't lose your aim,
Measure the distance
That's on the way.

You've hit it once,
You've hit it twice,
You've hit it thrice,
Now your time is up.

***

Some people sing only the first verse over and over and others don't sing at all while hitting the piñata.

César Naranjo from Xalapa wrote:

"…Regarding the verses of the piñata song, we must consider that they are songs from the oral tradition and, therefore, vary a little from region to region, and may even vary according to the creativity of the hosts or the participants at parties. I tell you because I am a native of Coatzacoalcos, a commercial and industrial port city, and among my memories of childhood I have only a blurry memory of how we sang it for Las Posadas. But I also remember hearing people singing it their own way at other parties. The important part is that the piñata song is not, in the first place, exclusive to the Cantos para pedir posada (a Las Posadas song and tradition), but it's sung at every party in which the playful ritual of breaking a piñata is performed. And by the way, this ritual is disappearing, like many other Mexican traditions, such as the 'Todos Santos' or 'Día de los Muertos' festival, which frankly is already becoming extinct.

I have lived my whole life in my home state of Veracruz, and I only remember the piñata song as follows:

Dale, dale, dale,
no pierdas el tino
porque si lo pierdes,
pierdes el camino.

Dale, dale, dale
dale y no le dió
quítenle la venda
porque sigo yo.

Here in Xalapa, where I have lived for more than twenty years, this is the version that is sung even for Cantos para pedir posada (Las Posadas). But surely there are other versions in the different regions of Mexico…."

We don't think the tradition of singing this song is going away based on how much it's still sung on YouTube. -Mama Lisa

*****

Fernando wrote:

"You have to adjust how much and how fast or slow you sing, to keep someone from breaking the piñata too soon.

And as kind of a joke, some will sing as a kid's turn is ending (just between family!):

Ese niño / Esa niña es muy listo, (a) / es muy tonto, (a)
es muy listo (a), / es muy tonto (a)
se parece a su mamá / papá

That girl / that boy is really smart, / dumb,
really smart, / dumb,
same as his / her mom / dad

Haha!"

*****

Here's another well-known version:

Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino.
Porque si lo pierdes,
Pierdes el camino.

Ahora sí le das
Ahora no le das
Porque tienes cara
de conejo Blas,
Blas, blas!

Translation:

Hit, hit, hit,
Don't lose your aim,
Because if you lose it,
You'll lose the way.

Now hit it!
Now don't hit it
Because you have the face
of the Rabbit called Blas,*
Blas, blas!

*Conejo Blas (Blas [Blaise] the Rabbit) is the subject of an old kids song by Francisco Gabilondo Soler (Cri-Cri) called "La cacería -¿A dónde vas? Conejo Blas" (The Hunt - Where Are You Going, Rabbit Blas?).

Comments

Please let us know which version of the Piñata Song you sing. It would be great if you can let us know what town or city you sang it in too. We also love to learn new versions! Please email me with any info. Thanks in advance! Mama Lisa

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Thanks to Patty Montes for sharing her version of this song with us! Translation by Lisa Yannucci and Monique Palomares. Thanks to Fernando for commenting on the piñata tradition and for the extra verse with a translation (in the Notes). Thanks to César Naranjo for sending his hometown version and his comments.

¡Muchas gracias!