EDINBURG — During this time of year it is not an unfamiliar sight in the Rio Grande Valley to see children and adults alike chasing each other with confetti-filled eggs, otherwise known as cascarones. Saturday was not the exception.
Vendors of these cascarones — eggshells painted with various bright colors and later filled with colorful confetti, or sometimes flour to add a little extra fun — can be seen on many street corners and along major roads selling their colorful creations.
Ramiro Cerna-Martinez and his wife, Carla were selling them on Sprague and Pin Oak Road in Edinburg on Saturday, but have been cascaron vendors for about five years. After having to take a two-year break due to the pandemic, they are excited to be selling Easter eggs again.
“It takes us about two to three months to paint cascarones,” said Ramiro, adding that preparation for Easter weekend requires a lot of patience and persistence. “We work in a garage where we paint day after day and then fill the eggs with confetti. It’s a very laborious task but we continue to work until the end (of the holiday).”
According to Ramiro, he and his wife handmade 1,200 cascarones in one month. Those eggs filled a total of 12 bags consisting of 100 eggs each. But a quick glance at his inventory Saturday revealed that the couple may have been even busier, with several other bags filled with more shells being unloaded from their vehicle.
“Just painting 12 cascarones takes half a day,” Ramiro said jokingly.
Their Easter eggs consist of their own handmade cascarones as well as some cascarones and piñatas they got in Reynosa.
They had a total of 12 boxes this year each containing 20 bags of 100 cascarones.
“Right now we have been selling around 200 bags a day,” Ramiro said, as Carla was busy selling eggs to yet another customer.
By Saturday morning they only had two boxes left.
Their eggs were more concentrated, bold, and not too many pastels which is the norm during this time of year. They were vibrant and detailed, indicating time and precision exhausted during the creation process.
They hope to accomplish the same when they try their hand at custom-made piñatas, too.
“We want to start making our own piñatas but we have not attempted it just yet … perhaps next year,” Ramiro said.
Ramiro and Carla will be back Sunday selling their cascarones at the same location, and look forward to wrapping up another successful Easter holiday.
