Where in Mexico did cascarones originate?
Trick question! Historians place the cascarones’ birthplace in China, and trace their introduction to Europe to Marco Polo. The Chinese filled eggshells with perfumed powder to give as gifts. In the mid-19th century, the wife of Emperor Maximillian was so fascinated by the eggs that she brought them to Mexico. The Mexicans replaced the powder with confetti, and named the eggs cascarones, deriving from “cascara,” meaning “shell.” Though the fascination with cascarones eventually subsided, South Texans revived the tradition in the late 1960s, and now, throughout Mexico and the American Southwest, they are used in celebrations. What’s the proper way to make use of cascarones? Crack them over the heads of your friends and loved ones! Though the designs can be quite beautiful, the real fun of cascarones is cracking them over your friends’ and loved ones’ heads – the confetti shower is said to bring good luck and good fortune, but it’s really just an excuse to mess up some hair. Don’t smash
