Dia di San Juan (Dera Gai)

Dia di San Juan (St John's Day), on 24 June, is when Aruba celebrates Dera Gai — literally "burying the rooster" — the island's traditional harvest festival. It mixes bonfires, music on violin, guitar, wiri and tambu, a candle-lit dance in yellow and a blindfolded game that gives the feast its name. It is not a public holiday, but the government, the National Holidays Committee and neighbourhood centres organise celebrations every year; in 2026 a cultural parade toured four neighbourhoods and ended at the Carnival Village in San Nicolas.

What is Dera Gai?

Dera Gai is Aruba's St John's Day harvest celebration. Historically, bonfires fuelled by the remains of the previous harvest were lit on the eve of St John's Day to prepare for the new growing season; today fires are lit around the island on 24 June itself, according to Wikipedia's account based on Aruban folklore studies. Men once leapt over the flames to music, a custom that faded because of fire safety. The feast blends Arawak symbols with the Christian ones brought by Spanish missionaries, and the Aruba Tourism Authority notes that bonfires are still lit across the island on St John's Day.

Why "burying the rooster"?

In the traditional game a rooster was buried with only its head showing, often covered by a calabash; blindfolded participants tried to strike it while singers and musicians egged them on. The live bird has long been dropped — a calabash and a plastic rooster now serve as the target. Dress code is part of the tradition: women wore yellow, the colour of the kibrahacha tree's flowers, and men wore black trousers, white shirts and yellow ties.

What happened in 2026?

The Government of Aruba, the National Holidays Committee (CCDN) and UNOCA organised a parade on Wednesday 24 June 2026 from 4 to 8 p.m. A cultural trailer with musicians, singers and dancers stopped at the Bushiri complex, the Dakota community and sports centre and Mabon Kavel before a grand finale at the Carnival Village in San Nicolas. Grupo Masiduri performed the traditional San Juan dance to music by Grupo Cariño, and residents could compete in bonfire jumping, rooster-crowing and hen-call contests, a flag-finding game and the Dera Gai game itself. The programme changes each year and is usually published in June.

Tips for visitors

• Celebrations start in the late afternoon and run after sunset; bring insect repellent and keep children well back from bonfires.
• A long-standing folk belief holds that you should not swim or fish on St John's Day because of the strong north-east trade winds. Whatever your view of folklore, the wind is real: on the rougher north and east coasts, stick to sheltered beaches such as Baby Beach or Mangel Halto.
• Since the 2026 finale was in San Nicolas, combine it with the San Nicolas street art walk earlier in the day, and see our San Nicolas guide for where to eat.