Page 4 - AHATA

a8 local
Saturday 24 auguSt 2024

The Aruba Monuments Fund Foundation will be hosting an Open

Monuments Day on September 15th

Monuments Day in the Neth- ties, accompanied by music
erlands. In the Netherlands, from the Tsunami band.
this event is celebrated over
three days, but in Aruba, it All information will be avail-
will take place on Sunday, able online via the website
September 15th. and app of Open Monu-
ments Day, and there will
The public can register at also be information available
the Casita Geel monument, at the different buildings.
where they will begin their
tour of Oranjestad, visiting You can enjoy dance and
different monuments, par- music, workshops and activi-
ticipating in activities for ties for children, crafts and
both adults and children, typical Aruban products for
and having the chance to sale, Instameets, photog-
win various prizes such as raphy competitions for the
weekend stays, travel vouch- "Lang Leven het Erfgoed"
ers, sunset sails, dinners, and project, exclusive tours, and
The Aruba Monuments Fund toric buildings in the Oran- free. much more. much more.
Foundation aims to bring the jestad area.
entire community together to For the first time, the Aruba From 10 AM to 3 PM, the For these reasons, the Aruba
explore the rich history and This special day will offer an Monuments Fund Foun- monuments will be open to Monuments Fund Founda-
beautiful architecture of the opportunity to visit and learn dation is organizing Open the public, and from 3 PM to tion invites the community
island. On September 15th, about some of Aruba's most Monuments Day in collabo- 5 PM, there will be a closing of Aruba to bring friends and
the people of Aruba will have valuable monuments and ration with the Netherlands event with prize presenta- family, to discover history, or
the opportunity to visit and historic sites, all of which will Monuments Foundation, tions for those who partici- simply enjoy a different kind
enter 13 monuments and his- be open to the public for which is responsible for Open pated in the different activi- of day.q

Aruban legends: Frenchman’s Pass

(Oranjestad)—If you ever ever, as the French were one involves a lonely hitch- braced for impact, but just Sometime later, two men
plan on taking a group heavily equipped with fire hiker, trying to find a ride when he though the car walked into the bar and
tour of the island, you may arms, the indigenous set- back home in the dark might drive straight off the one of them noticed the
pass through the French- tlers began to retreat, and rainy night. road and crash, he saw a hitchhiker. He called out to
man’s Pass in Balashi. The hid away in nearby caves. hand appear out the win- his buddy and said: “Look,
Frenchman’s pass (known The French colonizers tried Sometime after trying to dow and turn the wheel. there’s the idiot who sat
to locals as “Franse Pas”) to smoke them out of the hitchhike, the man saw a For the next few turns, the in our car when we were
remains a mysterious—and caves, but the indigenous car approaching, appear- hand appeared again. Af- pushing it!”
spooky—road of which its settlers ended up inhal- ing almost ghost-like in the ter having had enough, the
legend is told from genera- ing too much smoke and rain. However, since he man decided to jump out French man’s pass is one
tion to generation. most died in those caves. needed a ride real bad, and he ran to Santa Cruz. of the few sites on the is-
From then on, this passage he didn’t think twice and land that keeps the locals
The history of the French- was known as Frenchman’s jumped in. But to his horror, Arriving at a nearby bar, on their toes. While most
man’s pass—and how it got Pass, and there have been he noticed that the there he ordered a drink and be- ghost stories may not have
its name—dates back to many accounts of spirits was no driver in the front. gan to tell everyone about real grounds—or some may
the colonization era, when roaming the area of Span- Paralyzed with fear, he his experience. Everyone even be a set up story for a
the French tried to colo- ish Lagoon. didn’t dare to get out, and grew quiet, because they joke, this pass contributes a
nize the island, but were the car started to move. realized he wasn’t some lot to our culture of folkloric
met with an angry mob of There are many ghost sto- drunk messing around; he story-telling.
indigenous settlers, refusing ries surrounding this area, When approaching a was telling the truth.
to give up their land. How- but one of the most famous sharp turn, the hitch hiker Source: visitaruba.com