One of the most popular traditional Khmer New Year games is – quite simply – called Smash the Pot. It involves hanging thin clay pots filled with flour (or, in the city, baby powder) and a prize of some sort (usually tamarind candy) on a rope. The aim of the game is to smash one of the pots with a stick while blindfolded. The crowd is organized into two teams shouting instructions, one trying to direct the player so they miss three times and one trying to direct the player to break the pot.

If this sounds like a Piñata then you have the right idea. Only there’s a lot more misdirection and powder involved. Actually, there’s historical evidence that Piñata was inspired by traditional New Year games in Asia.

The piñata is a staple in Mexican culture. However, the first records of piñatas don’t come from Mexico or even Spain. The earliest records actually point to Asia — China, to be specific — as the origin of the beloved piñata.

More than 700 years ago, Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled along the Silk Road through Asia between 1271 and 1295, reported seeing the Chinese fashioning various figures (including cows, oxen, and buffaloes) and then covering them with colored paper.

These figures were filled with seeds and made in honor of the New Year. Celebrants would beat the figures with sticks until seeds spilled out. Then, they would burn the remnants and gather the ashes to bring them luck in the coming year.

After Marco Polo discovered this tradition, it was later imported to Italy and used to celebrate the holiday Lent. Eventually, the first Sunday of Lent became known as “Piñata Sunday.” The word piñata comes from the Italian word “pignatta,” which translates to “fragile pot.”

https://thevalemagazine.com/2021/11/15/the-true-history-of-the-pinata/

There’s not really much else to say about Smash the Pot. It’s an exciting part of the Khmer New Year festivities.