Dera Gai

Dera Gai, the burying of the rooster, is Aruba's Saint John's Day, held on the twenty-fourth of June and marking both the saint's day and the end of the harvest. Bonfires are lit the night before, and on the day dancers in yellow and red, the colours of the harvest, dance to the drum around a hole in the ground while a blindfolded participant tries to strike what is buried in it. Historically that was a live rooster, which is why the festival is called what it is; it has not been for many decades and a gourd is used instead. The San Juan songs are sung to drum and wiri.

What you actually see

• The bonfires - lit on the eve of the twenty-fourth.
• The yellow and red dress - the harvest colours worn for the dance.
• The blindfolded dance - striking at a buried gourd to the drum.
• The San Juan songs - sung to drum and wiri.

When to go

The twenty-fourth of June, with bonfires on the evening before. Savaneta and Noord hold the best-known celebrations. It is a community event rather than a scheduled tourist one, so ask locally where it is happening.

Honest expectations

The live rooster was replaced by a gourd generations ago, but the name and the older photographs still cause confusion and occasional complaints; the modern festival does not harm an animal. It is a community celebration with no published programme for visitors. Everything is in Papiamento.

Nearby

Savaneta and Noord hold the main celebrations; villages across the island mark it.