Cascarones, or, Hitting is OK Because It's Easter
Growing up, Easter weekend meant a giant family party at my grandparents’ house complete with a piñata, Easter egg hunt, possibly a mariachi band, and – on at least one occasion – my younger cousins dressing up to perform the Passion play.
But the best part (you know, besides celebrating Jesus resurrecting from the dead, providing salvation for the world)?
Cascarones!
Cascarones, or confetti eggs as they’re known elsewhere, are dried out egg shells, dyed and filled with confetti.
Then you smash them on people’s heads. For Jesus. (Also, for Fiesta, but that’s a different story.)
It was always fun to sneak up behind people, have another adult lift you up to get an unsuspecting uncle, even watch the toddlers cry because their world is being attacked by bright colors and headaches and they don’t know why.
Until I moved north of San Antonio, I didn’t realize the confetti egg phenomenon barely reached the panhandle. There is a few-week period in South Texas during which you can find cascarones for sale by the crate-load out of people’s car trunks on the side of the road.
Unfortunately, to experience the joy elsewhere, you’ll need to set aside an afternoon for this DIY project.
Here, my friends: the wonder of cascarones.
Sandi Villarreal is Associate Web Editor for Sojourners. Follow Sandi on Twitter @Sandi.
