Last Monday morning, Minister Maduro was present at Cas Tan Tin for the Department of Culture’s school project “San Juan Festival – Dera Gai,” where children received information about our traditional harvest festival on Saint John’s Day, celebrated today, June 24th.
The Department of Culture, in collaboration with Cas Tan Tin and the Aruba Fire Department, organized an educational program for Preparatory and Basic School students from grades 1 to 3. A total of 32 schools and about 3,000 children had the opportunity to experience and learn about Saint John’s Day and the Dera Gai dance from June 11 to 20.
In the Cas Tan Tin field, Minister Maduro of Culture attended the presentation by the Department of Culture team led by John Freddy Montoya, who explained the reasons for celebrating Saint John’s Day and showed all the festival elements important for the children to recognize in the celebration. This was followed by singing popular harvest songs, demonstrating the San Juan dance, and even a Gay scream contest, which are events that form part of the Saint John’s Day celebration.
From the Aruba Fire Department, Mr. Francis Toussaint explained the tradition of lighting fires on Saint John’s Day to the children and advised against lighting fires because it can be dangerous for people, animals, and the environment. He provided tips on what to do if a fire is lit to avoid danger.
At the end of the event, Minister Maduro handed out a certificate to each child who participated in the dance demonstration and the Gay scream contest. Afterwards, all schools received a tour of the historic Cas Tan Tin house so they could see how life was in Aruba in the past.
