La Christmas in Aruba It wouldn't be complete without the fabulous Christmas light decorations at Seroe Preto in Oranjestad. Every year young students volunteer and decorate this hill with colored lights in the most creative ways.
Some nights you can come across local bands playing Christmas songs or bagpipes. Also by just driving around the main roads you can enjoy a variety of creativity with colored lights displayed in various Aruba homes.
Christmas customs
Before the arrival of Sinterklaas, Santa Claus, the Christmas tree and Christmas lights, the celebration was much simpler, the indigenous people who had converted to Christianity had a tradition that is still being done by many families.
For example, the house where the walls are painted is swept. Three pieces of aloe tied with a bright red ribbon are hung above windows and doors, this is done to welcome the spirits of peace and harmony into people's homes.
Christmas dinner
The food, as with the celebrations, was greatly influenced by the many cultures that come together. Traditional Aruba Christmas dishes may sound familiar, Christmas ham, ayaca, chicken arros, stuffed turkey or chicken and zults and oliebollen.
Soups and salads such as tuna salad, chicken and pea salad, egg salad, chicken sancocho and the famous pumpkin soup. Also for the guests a variety of snacks are often prepared such as seasoned deviled eggs, cheese balls, croquettes, pastechi, sweet and sour dumplings, and sweets such as rumballs and Soenchi.
Special cakes are the pistachio cake and the dark fruit cake just to name a few. Drinks are pinda chuculati and cream punch. The delicious stollen cannot be forgotten, which is a loaf-shaped cake containing dried fruits and covered with powdered sugar or icing sugar. More recently added to the traditional Christmas meal is also Italian panettone and ham bread.
Dande
The real folk music of the season is the Dande that is performed to ring in the New Year. The Dande was born around 1880 after King Willem II freed the slaves who began to play the tambu and visited Aruba homes to wish them a happy new year.
Musicians typically visit Aruba homes just after the midnight fireworks where the singer has to demonstrate his improvisation ability, while a hat is being passed around so that money can be deposited for good luck.