Share, por favor!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

by Tessa Lemos

In our casa, the real joy on Easter Sunday came when you found a cascaron (confetti egg) in your hunt. And it wasn’t just for kids. Children and adults alike searched for these special eggs.

It is a Mexican tradition to sneak up on someone and break the cascaron above their head, showering them in confetti . Some believe it brings good luck. Some make a wish when the egg is cracked.

When we were kids, we all thought it was hilarious to surprise the victim and see them covered in confetti. Smashing cascarones provided a rare instance when the playing field was level. Children and adults were equal. Anyone could shower anyone with confetti because it was all in good fun.

We spent days preparing dozens of eggs all the while scheming how to get high enough to surprise a Tio and anticipating the look on his face. (If you smash it in your hand above their head, confetti sprinkles everywhere, but if you crack it directly onto their head, the sharp edges of the shells can hurt.)

As the years went on we went from filling the eggs with cut up pieces of tissue paper, to also emptying our hole punchers into the eggs, to adding glitter which stays in your hair forever.

With today’s craft supplies, you can get really creative with your confetti or dying technique.

Now, less than a week before Easter, is the perfect time to begin your cascaron preparation.

How to Make Cascarones

1. Take a small knife and poke a small opening in the tip of the egg.
2. Turn the egg upside down and drain it of the yolk and white.
3. Rinse the egg carefully to make sure all of the egg yolk and white are removed.
4. Turn the egg upside down and return it to the carton to dry completely. This usually takes a day or two.
5. Once the eggs are clean and dry, you can dye or decorate the outsides as you would normally decorate an easter egg.
6. Again, allow eggs to dry completely (for a day or two) so the confetti doesn’t stick to the shell.
7. Fill the eggs half full with confetti.
8. Cover the opening with a small piece of tissue paper.
9. Glue the edges of the tissue paper and allow it to dry completely.
10. Store the cascarones separate from the hard boiled Easter eggs.
11. Have fun surprising friends and family by cracking them over their heads.

For additional how-to, watch this step-by-step video below, then watch these students smash them and finally, check out the wonderful Kid’s Craft Weekly.

Tessa Lemos Del Pino is a Chicana who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. She is a lawyer by training, executive administrator by profession, and organizer by habit. You can read more of her writing on the Tiki Tiki and at Risk A Day. She lives in Nashville, TN.

Share, por favor!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

No related posts ahora.