Culture of Aruba
Encyclopedia
Aruba, one of the many islands that make up the Caribbean
, was first discovered and claimed by the Spanish
in 1499. Yet evidence and records show that the Spanish were definitely not the first people on the island. In fact, painted petrographs left behind on walls and the ceilings of caves to excavated ancient artifacts of the Arawaks have been found in Aruba. Precisely for this information, many do in fact believe that the Caiquetios, people's of the Arawak tribe that migrated north from the Orinoco Basin in South America
, were the very first inhabitants of the island.
Although the Spanish were in control of Aruba for many years, the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands soon gave the Dutch the upper hand. Finally in 1636 the Spanish handed over the island to the Dutch. Years later, the English took over Aruba for a brief period, but it quickly returned under Dutch
rule in 1816 and remained that way until 1985, when Aruba became a separate entity within the kingdom of the Netherlands.
The people and culture of Aruba has many different backgrounds. One can go from the Indians, to the Spanish, and more recently, the Dutch. Yet, through the years Aruba has become the home for many different people. Especially since the 20th century when industry has blossomed and people from all corners of the world call this island home. It can easily be said that Aruba is now made up of at least 40 different nationalities all living peacefully together.
Nowadays, the nearly 88,000 inhabitants of Aruba reflect its greatly changing history. Through local foods, architecture, celebrations, and languages one can immediately see the different influences the past settlers had on the island. Yet, the Dutch, up to this day continue to be the most influential people on Aruban society since the Dutch language is the official tongue of the Aruban people and Aruba continues to have close ties to the Netherlands.
has its own distinct culture, which often includes celebrations. Color and music play an important role in the majority of cultural events, most notably in the yearly Carnival
and Dia Di San Juan (St. John's Day) celebrations.
Arubans dress in red and yellow traditional shirt and a black traditional trouser to represent fire during the Dia Di San Juan celebration. This celebration originates from a combination of pre-Christian
Arawak harvest festivals and the works of Spanish
missionaries to combine them with the celebration of San Juan
. Aruba is the only country in the world that celebrates this day with dancing and singing. During the celebration a singer will chant a familiar "dera gai" (bury rooster) tune while players accompany the song with drum
, violin
, and local instrument called a wiri. While they sing, they will choose someone to come and try to hit a fake rooster with their eyes close.
When that person hits it, in that rooster, it will bring a wonderful smell. This wonderful smell comes from the fruit (calabash
).
Arubans will often refer to Carnival as Bacchanal, a term based on the Greek and Roman celebrations dedicated to Dionysus
for the Greeks
and Bacchus for the Romans
, their god of wine, vegetation, and cheer. Aruba's Bacchanalia shares some similarities with the ancient celebrations.
The Greeks wrote tragedies for these celebrations, and modern-day Arubans also use this time for artistic expressions. Similarly, they each have a religious significance. Aruba's Carnival is about cleansing one's body of sins, like the historic celebrations, and helps the people of Aruba prepare for Lent
. "Aruba's Official Carnival Concept Design," as it is called, infuses themes of music
, dance
, colors, creativity, and merriment.
The New Year
celebration in Aruba also includes a number of cultural superstitions and traditions; the traditional celebration is called dande. The name dande, also spelled dandee, comes from the Papiamento
word, dandara, meaning to revel, to carouse, or to have a good time. After King William III of the Netherlands
declared slaves to be free, the celebration began.
A group of five or six people usually performs these rituals, though more can join in. These people accompany a singer and travel door-to-door to express their best wishes for the New Year. Repetitive songs, with the chorus which includes the phrase "ai nobe"(aña nobo) – "new year" – sung after each phrase. The celebratory travel usually leads to the houses of the singers' friends and family, where the host collects money in his hat to give to the group. Certain districts may have their own dande groups performing on the second day of the year.
Fortune tellers abound in Aruba. A popular practice involves female practitioners sipping and spitting spirits (often cheap rum), amidst candles and incense, swinging a duster, puffing a cigar, which reveals the future by looking, at the curling smoke and lit cigar end, or blowing the smoke on, unsuspecting rooster.
Cards, including tarot decks are also popular, and a ceremony is complete without the customer being dispense a potion or bath salt, the use of which will yield the desired result. Consultation fees are steep, but good fortune does not come cheap.
Many Arubans however will refer to these activities believing roosters lay eggs (Webo di Gai).
To ensure a home blessed with happiness and good fortune, ceremonial cleansing are in order starting at the rear of the house, removing dirt through the front door. This should only be done on Saturdays. The traditional tile floors are mopped with brightly colored cleansers with names like Vini Vini (English: Come, Come), Suerte Dinero (Money Luck), Abre Camino (Path to Fortune).
To ward off evil spirits all rooms must be incensed and four lemons with crosses carved in them placed in the four farthest comers of the house. Outlandish amounts of fireworks go up in smoke on New Year's Eve every year, to ward off evil spirits, and bring good luck (Called Core cu Fucu, "make the curse go away")
Arubans like gambling, and everywhere little shacks are found, where lottery tickets can be bought, or one can play numbers. In the past these number lotteries were not tolerated, and the winning numbers were announced on the radio, by announcing the arrivals of sailing ships from the country of origin of the lottery, with the ships' registration numbers corresponding to the winning numbers. Whenever a traffic accident occurs, lines of cars pass the crash site, and people crowd around the crashed vehicles to write down the license plate numbers. Playing these numbers in lotteries brings fortune, Gamblers who are, on a losing streak should wash their hands thoroughly, remove the underwear and put it on backwards to turn the tide.
Wallets and handbags should never be placed on the floor to avoid bad luck. Carrying magnets is recommended to ensure that you keep your money. Botanicals, shops where religious paraphernalia, fortune telling wares, potions, lotions, oils, perfumes, bath salts, incense and other essentials are sold, are often found next to shops peddling lottery tickets.
Many frequent these fortune retailers, and supermarkets also carry the glass and plastic bottles with the most peculiar labels offering good fortune and wealth. Many of these products go by such brand names as Assured Wealth, Money Bringer and Good Luck. A closer inspection of the labels will yield no specification of used ingredients. These products are sold on the strength of faith alone. Some botanicals even provide one-stop shopping for those in search of fortune by selling both fortune paraphernalia and lottery tickets.
For a young woman the surest way to attract a man is to devote herself to San Antonio. She must purchase an icon of this saint and scented candles. If this fails to work, the saint is punished, by making the icon face the wall, and putting the heat on by placing the lit candle at the back of the icon.
Practitioners of santeria recommend taking baths with sweet scented salts, oils and potions to attract a husband. Rose petals, honey, scented Awa Florida, cinnamon, sandalwood, sweet wood and musk will lure the cherished or admired male prospects.
Scented candles, also popular in the United States seem to capitalize on these practices. Once a man is bound by marriage, he must be home broken and undergo treatment to assure his fidelity and his leave of nocturnal escapades, a process referred to as domestication (Papiamento: manza).
The wife steals a sock of the right foot of her newly wed husband, and buries this on the third Monday of the month, before midnight in front of the main entrance of the house on the right side. Then during the week before the month ends, he is administered five drops of Amanza Guapo in his cup of morning coffee.
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, was first discovered and claimed by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1499. Yet evidence and records show that the Spanish were definitely not the first people on the island. In fact, painted petrographs left behind on walls and the ceilings of caves to excavated ancient artifacts of the Arawaks have been found in Aruba. Precisely for this information, many do in fact believe that the Caiquetios, people's of the Arawak tribe that migrated north from the Orinoco Basin in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, were the very first inhabitants of the island.
Although the Spanish were in control of Aruba for many years, the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands soon gave the Dutch the upper hand. Finally in 1636 the Spanish handed over the island to the Dutch. Years later, the English took over Aruba for a brief period, but it quickly returned under Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
rule in 1816 and remained that way until 1985, when Aruba became a separate entity within the kingdom of the Netherlands.
The people and culture of Aruba has many different backgrounds. One can go from the Indians, to the Spanish, and more recently, the Dutch. Yet, through the years Aruba has become the home for many different people. Especially since the 20th century when industry has blossomed and people from all corners of the world call this island home. It can easily be said that Aruba is now made up of at least 40 different nationalities all living peacefully together.
Nowadays, the nearly 88,000 inhabitants of Aruba reflect its greatly changing history. Through local foods, architecture, celebrations, and languages one can immediately see the different influences the past settlers had on the island. Yet, the Dutch, up to this day continue to be the most influential people on Aruban society since the Dutch language is the official tongue of the Aruban people and Aruba continues to have close ties to the Netherlands.
Cultural celebrations
ArubaAruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
has its own distinct culture, which often includes celebrations. Color and music play an important role in the majority of cultural events, most notably in the yearly Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
and Dia Di San Juan (St. John's Day) celebrations.
Arubans dress in red and yellow traditional shirt and a black traditional trouser to represent fire during the Dia Di San Juan celebration. This celebration originates from a combination of pre-Christian
Pre-Christian
Pre-Christian may mean:*before Christianization**historical polytheism *BC**Classical Antiquity**Iron Age...
Arawak harvest festivals and the works of Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
missionaries to combine them with the celebration of San Juan
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
. Aruba is the only country in the world that celebrates this day with dancing and singing. During the celebration a singer will chant a familiar "dera gai" (bury rooster) tune while players accompany the song with drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, and local instrument called a wiri. While they sing, they will choose someone to come and try to hit a fake rooster with their eyes close.
When that person hits it, in that rooster, it will bring a wonderful smell. This wonderful smell comes from the fruit (calabash
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
).
Arubans will often refer to Carnival as Bacchanal, a term based on the Greek and Roman celebrations dedicated to Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
for the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
and Bacchus for the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, their god of wine, vegetation, and cheer. Aruba's Bacchanalia shares some similarities with the ancient celebrations.
The Greeks wrote tragedies for these celebrations, and modern-day Arubans also use this time for artistic expressions. Similarly, they each have a religious significance. Aruba's Carnival is about cleansing one's body of sins, like the historic celebrations, and helps the people of Aruba prepare for Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
. "Aruba's Official Carnival Concept Design," as it is called, infuses themes of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, colors, creativity, and merriment.
The New Year
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
celebration in Aruba also includes a number of cultural superstitions and traditions; the traditional celebration is called dande. The name dande, also spelled dandee, comes from the Papiamento
Papiamento
Papiamento is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands, having the official status on the islands of Aruba and Curaçao. The language is also recognized on Bonaire by the Dutch government....
word, dandara, meaning to revel, to carouse, or to have a good time. After King William III of the Netherlands
William III of the Netherlands
William III was from 1849 King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg until his death and the Duke of Limburg until the abolition of the Duchy in 1866.-Early life:William was born in Brussels as son of William II of the Netherlands and...
declared slaves to be free, the celebration began.
A group of five or six people usually performs these rituals, though more can join in. These people accompany a singer and travel door-to-door to express their best wishes for the New Year. Repetitive songs, with the chorus which includes the phrase "ai nobe"(aña nobo) – "new year" – sung after each phrase. The celebratory travel usually leads to the houses of the singers' friends and family, where the host collects money in his hat to give to the group. Certain districts may have their own dande groups performing on the second day of the year.
Superstition and pagan beliefs
Influenced by American tourists and the Latin Americans working in Aruba, Halloween is now observed and to a lesser extent the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos among the Latin Americans. The first beliefs and superstitions in Aruba date from Pre-Columbian times, when Indians roamed on Aruba. After 1820, with the disappearance of the Indians their imagery and cultural heritage was lost. With the influx of slaves during the seventeenth and eighteenth century, African beliefs and superstitions were assimilated, of which some are evident in the traditions of Dera Gai, Dande, and harvest feasts.Fortune tellers abound in Aruba. A popular practice involves female practitioners sipping and spitting spirits (often cheap rum), amidst candles and incense, swinging a duster, puffing a cigar, which reveals the future by looking, at the curling smoke and lit cigar end, or blowing the smoke on, unsuspecting rooster.
Cards, including tarot decks are also popular, and a ceremony is complete without the customer being dispense a potion or bath salt, the use of which will yield the desired result. Consultation fees are steep, but good fortune does not come cheap.
Many Arubans however will refer to these activities believing roosters lay eggs (Webo di Gai).
To ensure a home blessed with happiness and good fortune, ceremonial cleansing are in order starting at the rear of the house, removing dirt through the front door. This should only be done on Saturdays. The traditional tile floors are mopped with brightly colored cleansers with names like Vini Vini (English: Come, Come), Suerte Dinero (Money Luck), Abre Camino (Path to Fortune).
To ward off evil spirits all rooms must be incensed and four lemons with crosses carved in them placed in the four farthest comers of the house. Outlandish amounts of fireworks go up in smoke on New Year's Eve every year, to ward off evil spirits, and bring good luck (Called Core cu Fucu, "make the curse go away")
Arubans like gambling, and everywhere little shacks are found, where lottery tickets can be bought, or one can play numbers. In the past these number lotteries were not tolerated, and the winning numbers were announced on the radio, by announcing the arrivals of sailing ships from the country of origin of the lottery, with the ships' registration numbers corresponding to the winning numbers. Whenever a traffic accident occurs, lines of cars pass the crash site, and people crowd around the crashed vehicles to write down the license plate numbers. Playing these numbers in lotteries brings fortune, Gamblers who are, on a losing streak should wash their hands thoroughly, remove the underwear and put it on backwards to turn the tide.
Wallets and handbags should never be placed on the floor to avoid bad luck. Carrying magnets is recommended to ensure that you keep your money. Botanicals, shops where religious paraphernalia, fortune telling wares, potions, lotions, oils, perfumes, bath salts, incense and other essentials are sold, are often found next to shops peddling lottery tickets.
Many frequent these fortune retailers, and supermarkets also carry the glass and plastic bottles with the most peculiar labels offering good fortune and wealth. Many of these products go by such brand names as Assured Wealth, Money Bringer and Good Luck. A closer inspection of the labels will yield no specification of used ingredients. These products are sold on the strength of faith alone. Some botanicals even provide one-stop shopping for those in search of fortune by selling both fortune paraphernalia and lottery tickets.
For a young woman the surest way to attract a man is to devote herself to San Antonio. She must purchase an icon of this saint and scented candles. If this fails to work, the saint is punished, by making the icon face the wall, and putting the heat on by placing the lit candle at the back of the icon.
Practitioners of santeria recommend taking baths with sweet scented salts, oils and potions to attract a husband. Rose petals, honey, scented Awa Florida, cinnamon, sandalwood, sweet wood and musk will lure the cherished or admired male prospects.
Scented candles, also popular in the United States seem to capitalize on these practices. Once a man is bound by marriage, he must be home broken and undergo treatment to assure his fidelity and his leave of nocturnal escapades, a process referred to as domestication (Papiamento: manza).
The wife steals a sock of the right foot of her newly wed husband, and buries this on the third Monday of the month, before midnight in front of the main entrance of the house on the right side. Then during the week before the month ends, he is administered five drops of Amanza Guapo in his cup of morning coffee.
External links
- Aruba - Official site for Government of Aruba