Greeting Cards, Calendar with holidays, quotes and wishes for every occasion - webplus.info
CalendarJune24 → Dera Gai in Aruba

Dera Gai in Aruba

Dera Gai in Aruba is held on June 24. A folkloric festival celebrated on the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. This event in the third decade of the month June is annual. Help us Help us 
24 June - Dera Gai in Aruba
History tells that San Juan festivities originated on the South part of Mexico and came down to Guatemala and other countries in Central America reaching Venezuela and passed down to Aruba.
It is a custom brought by the missionaries who evangelized the villages, by introducing a tradition for the remembrance to the sacrifice of apostle San Juan Bautista, who according to the Biblical history was decapitated by order of King Herodes, since he liked princess Salomé.
Dera Gai (dera = bury and gai = rooster) is celebrated each June 24, a traditional and ancient harvest festivity signifying the end of the harvest, and the beginning of the dry season with hopes of a good harvest the following year. It is celebrated with a unique dance and the colors red and yellow are commonly used during this festivity.
When the Spanish ruled the island, they brought a couple of missionaries to educate the locals about Christianity. The place they started to preach is where the Alto Vista Chapel is situated now. The first 2 missionaries are still to be found buried on the right front side of the chapel entrance. The missionaries allowed the natives by then to preserve some of their pagan celebrations like Dera Gai, Dande and the Carnival. That is why they combined the harvesting celebration with Saint John day.

Similar holidays and events, festivals and interesting facts

Father's DayFather's Day on June 16 (Ñelebrated on the third Sunday of June øò Argentina, Aruba, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Kenya, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Venezuela, United Kingdom);
Boxing DayBoxing Day on December 26 (Belgium, Fiji, The Bahamas, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Samoa...);
Carnaval in ArubaCarnaval in Aruba on January 1 (Beginning after the new year with the Torch Parade and ending at midnight on the eve of Ash Wednesday);
King's DayKing's Day on April 27 (Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten. Celebrated on April 26 if April 27 falls on a Sunday)
Copyright © webplus.info