By eneryvibes
The Meet & Greet at the Festival di Dande in Rotterdam was a success. BookIsh Plaza was present spreading the reading vibe and people were interested in our broad assortment of books. It was a great evening with nice performances and an awesome gaita group of singers.
The festival by the way is a cultural festivity we Arubians celebrate coming the New Year. The tradition goes that the days before New Year, groups of musicians will go from house to house in the neigbourhood to give all fine wishes to their fellow men by singing: ‘Oh Dande nos a yega na bo porta, Ay Nobe’ [We come to bring you good tidings in the New Year, Happy New Year]. They will sing for all the members of the houshold. They’ll pass a hat around so you can give them a tip, they eat and drink, then go on their way. This will go on the whole day till late at night. I still remember as a child they came to my grandmother’s house. That’s the first time I ever had the pleasure to meet an authentic Dande group.
In Aruba this custom has grown with the years and you’ll find Dande groups everywhere wishing you very best wishes. Check out my post on the eneryvibes blog of one of them HERE.
Abroad naturally we don’t hit the road so these festivals are organised in a venue and the best singer is selected.
book fans
the banner right in the goal
one of the Dande singers
chatting with booklovers
our Aruban authors collection
the Gaita group bringing the season ambiance
Searching for the right book & finding it
finally the winner, Rey di Dande 2011, courtesy of Photo Indio
Leave a Reply