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LOCAL Saturday 24 June 2017

Aruba Celebrates Festive Dera Gai and St. John’s Day!

ground, and a live rooster
was buried in the hole up
to its neck. Blindfolded rev-
elers would then be given
three tries to decapitate
the rooster with a long pole
(piñata-style). (The Catho-
lics considered this ritual
to be symbolic of the de-
capitation of St. John the
Baptist while the pagans
believed that the spilling
of the blood would fertil-
ize the earth for the next
growing season.) The one
to carry out the deed was
rewarded with bottles of
alcohol and other prizes.
Today, a more humane
approach is taken. For ex-
ample, at the Dera Gai cel-
ebration at S.V. Sportboys
in Santa Cruz-one of the
biggest Dera Gai celebra-
tions on the Island-revelers
are blindfolded and tasked
with locating a flag staked
into the ground while
swaying their hips to the
(By ARUBA.COM) to “burying of the rooster” rhythms of a band. Every
ORANJESTAD –Festive Dera in the local language-is now and then, the coordi- to represent the bloom of vious year’s harvest would
Gai and St. John’s Day cel- a cultural festival which nator of the game fools the the local kibrahacha tree be burnt in preparation for
ebrations will take place has been celebrated for blindfolded participants by in the month of June-these the coming growing sea-
today, June 24 , across the about 100 years on Aruba moving the flag while the groups also perform har- son. Nowadays, the fires
th
island of Aruba. with traditional song and game is in progress. Folk vest dance rituals. are burnt island-wide on
Aruba’s harvest festival dance. This holiday is rife dance groups also reenact Many years ago, bonfires St. John’s Day itself, serving
‘Dera Gai’ is now a cultural with both pagan and Chris- the burying and decapita- were built on the eve of St. as an olfactory reminder
celebration featuring tradi- tian symbolism reflecting tion of the rooster using a John’s Day in order to com- of this unique local festival.
tional song and dance. The the influences of the Ar- plastic rooster. Decked out municate the arrival of the Todays celebration at S.V.
symbol of the rooster and awak natives and Spanish in bright yellow-and-red holiday to neighbors. The Sportboys will start at 6 pm.
bright yellow and red cos- missionaries on the Island, costumes-the yellow said old clippings from the pre- Don’t miss it.q
tumes are central to events respectively.
held at various locations Traditionally, the Dera Gai
including community cen- celebration was centered
ters. around an unusual ritu-
Dera Gai which translates al. A hole was dug in the