Page 14 - ATA

A14 LOCAL
Monday 24 June 2019

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

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