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LOCAL Monday 14 april 2025
Easter on Aruba: A tradition of camping

ORANJESTAD—You may when they go camping, and for the kids, snacks like
notice this Sunday families like the Ras family from pastechi (meat pies), kro-
setting up trailers and tents Paradera. ket (croquettes), cheese
on the outskirts of beaches Before setting up camp, balls, and deviled eggs are
around the island. This is a planning starts with pro- necessary to keep them full
long-standing tradition dur- curing (legal) documents. and energized while they
ing Easter weekend, where These include camping play all day in the blazing
families and friends gather permits given by the Police sun. When camping with
in large groups and set up Corps (KPA) and contracts extended family or friends,
camp at the beach. for toilet rentals. Do note usually everyone pitches in
that camping permits are with food and drinks. As the
For this year, camping sea- especially important, be- Ras family matriarch said: these are hidden around do not go to church but
son starts on Sunday, March cause the police are bound “There always someone in the camping site. They still want to pay respect on
24th and ends on April 7th, to patrol the camping ar- the kitchen cooking some- make sure to boil these Good Friday may hold a
on Easter Day. This Aruban eas during the week. After thing up.” eggs first, so that no messy moment of silence when
tradition may be nothing obtaining a permit, groups In terms of camp activities, accidents happen when the clock strikes 3pm.
like what you’re used to assemble to look for and these can also vary from painting these. After the
seeing. Though groups do hold a spot at the beach. group to group, but one kids find their eggs, they And after two weeks of
sleep in tents and spend This is why you may notice activity you will not miss are usually cracked open camping, this tradition
the entire week at their some chairs, traffic cones anywhere is dominos. Usu- and eaten. But the fun of comes to a close for the
campsite, most sites have or even ropes stretching ally, every camp site has egg hunting is not exclusive rest of the year. Groups
extra facilities. These facili- across the beaches on one or two domino tables to children; adults may also deconstruct their sites and
ties include trailer-kitchens Saturday or Sunday before ready for use, where the participate too. For this, leave the beach prem-
and portable toilets, mak- camping week. men usually gather and the Ras family sometimes ises, excited for next Eas-
ing camping much more Next on the list is planning play for hours. Other than hid golden eggs around ter, where they can set up
comfortable—and per- the menu. The Ras family that, both children and the area, each holding big camp again and enjoy the
haps even more luxurious. usually plans hot dogs and adults play ‘Mens Erger prizes, like a bottle of wine, feeling of community on
Though camping in itself is burgers for Thursday, and Je Niet’ (Ludo), Bingo and money etc. the beaches of Aruba.
a general custom on the fish for Good Friday. Other other board games, or go Besides this, families on As said before, camping
island, each family/group than that, soup is a must, fishing with lines and nets. the island may celebrate during Easter vacation is a
may have their own set chicken and rice (Arroz con On Easter Sunday, the main Easter weekend by walk- long-standing tradition for
of traditions and routines pollo) is an Aruban favorite, activity for everyone, and ing the “Caminda di Cruz” the community of Aruba.
especially the children, is (Sorrowful Way or Via Dolo- This is something that al-
egg hunting. rosa) to the Alto Vista Cha- most everyone on the is-
The Ras family matriarch pel located in the northern land grew up with, and it
told our reporter that the part of the island or by go- remains a special occasion
children traditionally deco- ing to the 3 o’clock church that feels authentic and
rate their own eggs before sermon. Some groups that our own!q

Prohibited by law: leaving the island
with seashells, white sand or corals

(Oranjestad)—Often times, the customs department at
the airport intercepts many tourists leaving the island with
seashells, white sand and/or corals as souvenirs.

Conforming to the international treaty of CITES and our
local law which protects our Flora & Fauna, it is absolutely
prohibited to take any seashell, sand and coral outside of
Aruba. This is to protect our environment. The high num-
ber of seashells, coral and amount of sand confiscated is
very strange and it is suspected that our own locals are
the ones selling these to the tourists, which is unaccept-
able.
Upon confiscation at the airport, you can also face a fine
that they have to pay before leaving. This is surely not a
pleasant experience for the tourist. This also leads to a
negative reaction which can put our tourism in a nega-
tive light.
Though we love to accommodate our visitors, let’s all
give nature the respect it deserves by protecting our en-
vironment. Stop collecting seashells, white sand and cor-
als from our shores and stop buying or accepting these
from local sellers or companies.

We want our future generations and visitors to enjoy the
beauty of our beaches, shells and corals in a sustainable
way, without destroying or disrupting the Aruban ecosys-
tem. Help us protect what is ours!q