Cultural Events

On December 5th, children receive gifts from “Sinterklaas” (Saint Nicolas) because it’s his birthday. Sinterklaas, dressed in bishop's robes and accompanied by his "Zwarte Pieten" (helpers), officially arrives in Aruba a couple of weeks before his birthday. His arrival by boat at Paardenbaai Harbor in Oranjestad is celebrated with great fanfare. Brass bands head the parade through downtown Oranjestad as children enjoy their first glimpse of the season of Sinterklaas. Treats of spice cookies and candies are passed out to the children by his helpers. In the days before December 5, hopeful children leave out shoes and treats for Sinterklaas' white horse in anticipation of Sinterklaas' nighttime arrival. Sinterklaas and his helpers are often spotted during the daytime at events sponsored by schools and commercial establishments.

As December approaches, the harmonious voices of the Gaita groups signal the start of the holiday season. Gaita is the name of a Venezuelan folk music from Maracaibo state that was adopted by Aruba. According to Joan Corominas, it originates from gaits, Gothic for "goat." Born in early the 60s, Gaita was popularized in the middle 70s and it eventually fused with other types of music like salsa and merengue. The Gaita in the modern day consists of approximately 18 to 20 musicians playing bass guitar, guitar and original Gaita instruments such as Cuarta, tambore, raspa (Guiro), wiri and furucu. These groups start composing and arranging their songs in June/July and start recording their music in August/October. The Gaita groups perform at public and private celebration activities from beginning of November until December the 25th.

On the 25th of December another musical tradition we enjoy is Aguinaldo or Serenal. It was adopted from Venezuela, where it’s called "Noche Buena." This music genre can be compared to Christmas caroling. The musicians announce their arrival through a song and seek to gain entry to the homes of family and friends to tell the story of the birth of Christ, and to share in joy of the message of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men.

Dande is a traditional Aruban New Year's celebration. The word dande means to carouse, revel or have a good time. This celebration began after King Willem III of the Netherlands declared slaves to be free. The traditional song is performed by a group of well-wishers who form a band and go door-to-door to sing their song of peace, happiness, goodwill, and prosperity for the New Year. The chorus repeats the ai nobe (aña nobo or New Year) refrain in this lively melody. It is an African rhythm, the same as the tumba or the tambu of Curaçao. The music is played by guitar, accordian, raspa (local percussion instrument) and drum.

At each house, money is collected by the host to share with the entire ensemble. Some districts now have their own dande groups that continue to perform even after the New Year. Ever since 1971, a festival has been organized on the last Saturday of the year to elect the Dande King or Queen.

Enjoyed by young and old, by spectators as well as participants, Carnival is a mesmerizing, mind-boggling extravaganza. Its beginnings can be traced back to the feasts of antiquity held to honor such gods as Bacchus and Saturn. Colonization introduced this phenomenon to the New World and the French brought it to the Caribbean. The word is derived from the Latin carne vale, meaning farewell to flesh, referring to Lent.

Carnival first began in Aruba with a series of small street festivals. Aruba’s oldest social club, Tivoli, was the first to have a pre-Lenten celebration in Oranjestad in February 1944. The Allied victory of World War II was commemorated by a large parade in San Nicolas of Caribbean-English immigrants who worked at the Lago Oil Refinery. The first steel and brass bands debuted a few years later and small parades sprouted here and there. In 1955, various clubs and districts were brought together for Aruba’s first public Carnaval with the first official Carnaval queen. The traditional Grand Parades were organized in 1957.

On November 11, 1966 (11/11/66) at 11:11 am, Stichting Arubaanse Carnaval (SAC), Carnaval’s organizing body, was founded. Each year, the Carnival season officially begins at this precise moment. The Prime Minister turns the country over to the elected Prince and Pancho who receive the key to the island and remain in charge for several months. Along with the beauteous Queen, the Prince is the authority figure who guides the parades and later restores order, and the Pancho is his comical, fun-loving sidekick.

On the eve of June 24, smoke fills the air and small fires are set throughout the island in celebration of the Festival of San Juan Dera Gai.

This harvest festival had its roots centuries ago in southern Mexico. As an offering to the gods, the pagan Indians lit bonfires to clear their fields of the last vestiges of the harvest. This purification ritual marked the end of one season and the welcoming of the new one. Men would challenge each other to leap over the fires and reward the winners with food and drink. The custom spread to Guatemala, Central America, Venezuela and eventually Aruba, becoming a part of local folklore. When Roman Catholic priests arrived in 1500, the feast of St. John the Baptist was combined with this Dera Gai pagan feast. After harvesting, the crops were taken from the soil and collected to burn on the eve of St. John’s Day.

Aruba has been celebrating St. John’s Day for more than two centuries. It is said to be the only country in the world that celebrates this day with song and dance. Women dance and wear colorful costumes in the bright yellow of local flowers, a symbol of a bountiful harvest, and red, the color of fire. Musicians also wear a yellow or red band around their waist and dark trousers. Men are blind-folded, whirled around, lose their bearings and then try to strike a gourd (calabas) with a stick, representing the head of a buried rooster, to the delight of their audience. This is incorporated into the dance that folkloric groups perform reminiscent of the beheading of St. John the Baptist. A special tune is chanted, accompanied by drum, violin, tambour (small drum) and wiri (a metal percussion instrument). In ancient times, a real rooster lost its head; today, it is just a show.

Today, Dera Gai celebrations are held around the island and at the Bon Bini Festival at Fort Zoutman. Neighborhood centers host their own events and bonfires are still set as they were in the past to clear the fields.

The Bon Bini Festival takes place every Tuesday at 6:30 pm in the outdoor courtyard of historical Fort Zoutman. An engaging emcee introduces traditionally-costumed folkloric dancers, local musical genres such as the mazurka and the waltz, and instruments such as the cuarta (four-stringed rhythmic guitar), wiri, raspu, and caja di orgel, affectionately called the “ting-a-ling box”. Originally from Italy and first made on Aruba in 1938, this barrel organ is a cylinder of a few thousand nails spaced various heights and distances apart and plays different songs with the turn of a handle. The rhythmic music of the steel pan, originally developed in the English Caribbean from oil drums, also adds a touch of local color. The works of talented artists and artisans are on sale as are authentic culinary specialties. 

For those who would like to experience more of Aruba’s music, a unique Musical Morning takes place on the last Sunday of every month from 11am – 1pm at the French Steak House at the Manchebo Beach Resort. Local musical artists provide entertaining performances of jazz, classical, folkloric and classic Antillean music. There is no charge for this delightful event, though donations are accepted for the Aruban Foundation for Musical Talent, assisting local young musicians in their studies. 

The National Theatre of Aruba (Cas di Cultura) is located at the traffic circle between the airport and downtown Oranjestad. The recently renovated theatre has excellent acoustics, comfortable seating with unobstructed views of the stage, and an attractive new lobby and lounge. Home to local, regional and international films, lectures, concerts, dance performances, art exhibitions, folkloric shows and plays throughout the year, the Cas di Cultura also houses Aruba’s music school. Priorities are educational projects for youth, international collaborations and projects with social value. Ask the concierge at your hotel about any events during your stay. Vondellaan 2, Oranjestad / Tel 582-1010 / www.casdicultura.com