Aruba is one happy island that is ready for a celebration at any time of the year. But the holiday season is special, a time to be spent with family and friends, and to welcome new beginnings with the arrival of the New Year. It is a time when food, music and parties take over the island, homes are decorated and streets are lined with lights. The festive mood is inescapable, and everyone seems swept up in the spirit of the season, with proclamations of Bon Pasco y Bon Aña – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

An Aruban take on the Christmas tree. Public spaces around the island are decorated in elaborate displays of holiday lights, including traffic circles. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

Culinary Treats

As on many Caribbean islands, fruitcake is served when company comes to visit. For Arubans, the treat will be a black cake called bolo pretu, which is infused with brandy and fruit liqueurs, and loaded with dried fruits and spices. Every household has their own recipe, and visitors can find this favorite delicacy at supermarkets and specialty shops across the island. Other favorites for entertaining include pistachio cake and pan de jamon, a bread laced with ham.

Pumpkin soup is especially popular around the holidays. Turkey is served in some households, but the favorite holiday meat in Aruba is the Christmas ham, which is coated with glaze and spices. A Dutch treat that makes its way onto the holiday table is oliebollen, a small deep-fried ball of dough similar to a beignet or doughnut. You’ll often find these made fresh and hot at local supermarkets. Another island-wide tradition is ponche crema, a Latin American beverage that is a bit sweeter than the standard American eggnog. Every household has their own recipe, but expect it to be laced with rum.

The grand prize on every Christmas plate is the ayaca. With culinary roots in Venezuela, this dish starts with a boiled banana or plantain leave that is filled, wrapped, tied and boiled again when its time to eat. The stuffing is a mixture of chicken, pork or ham combined with spices, olives, raisins, cashews, prunes, onions and whatever the family recipe calls for, all spread over a layer of cornmeal mixture similar to polenta.

Ayaca is an Aruban favorite at the Christmas dinner table. Similar to a tamale, it is a mixture of meats and spices surrounded by corn meal, steamed within a banana leaf. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

Holiday Playlist

Radio stations begin playing Christmas music in October, and while you might occasionally hear White Christmas in the mix, you will certainly hear the sounds of Gaita and Paranda Arubiano from popular bands such as Grupo Di Betico. When you are out and about, you’ll find Gaita bands performing at shopping centers, malls and public places. This is the music most identified with an Aruban Christmas. Originating in Maracaibo, Venezuela, this folkloric music is comprised of humorous lyrics and love songs. Groups are made up of a line of female singers who dance and perform while male musicians play cuartro and tambora.

For more than 50 years, the folkloric sounds of Grupo Di Betico have been a favorite sound during the holidays. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

Right after Christmas, the island also has a tradition of caroling, known as Dande. Groups of five to six Dande musicians travel from home to home, especially on December 31. These groups feature a principal vocalist backed up by the sounds of drum, tambu, wiri and raspa. One member of the group carries a hat that is passed around, and the audience is encouraged to deposit cash for good luck. The tradition is pervasive across the island; you will find Dande played in public places and there is even a Dande Festival, as the tradition is becoming more popular.

A group of Dande musicians perform traditional holiday music. The singer holds an upturned hat, encouraging onlookers to deposit cash to ensure good fortune. Photo: Julien de Bats/Aruba Tourism Authority

Lights and Fireworks

The island’s most popular holiday light show covers the hill of Seroe Preto, where the nativity scene is creatively displayed. A drive around Aruba, passing by all the roundabouts on the main roads, will show off an amazing array of decorations. The entire island seems lit up as every hotel, business, shopping center, traffic circle and park is hung with strings of multi-colored bulbs. Hotel lobbies are decorated with trees; gingerbread houses, nativity scenes and an array of Christmas lights are hung from every thing imaginable.

At the stroke of midnight on December 31, the skies of Aruba erupt as hundreds of fireworks displays are set off, creating brilliant aerial displays of color. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

 As the New Year approaches, the focus shifts from lights to fireworks, which begin several days before the actual holiday. The streets of downtown Oranjestad are engulfed in smoke and noise as pagaras—long strings of Chinese firecrackers—are laid out and ignited. The noise is to ensure the New Year will have a clean start as evil spirits are being chased away. On the last night of the year, fireworks displays can be seen along the beaches. Many of the hotels stage their own shows, which can be seen from balconies as the entire island comes ablaze at the stroke of midnight.

New Year’s Eve is a big event on the island of Aruba. Food and family play are the central elements of celebrations leading to the midnight toast. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

The Aruba art scene is gaining worldwide attention and respect as local artists come into their own, and are joined by a growing number of regional and international artists who have taken up residence and draw inspiration from the island’s landscapes and cultures. Much of their work is represented in galleries that have authentic island roots and universal respect. Here are three of our favorites.

Cosecha

In August of 2015, a group of local artists came together to create Cosecha as a showcase for their works. The gallery is housed in a 100-year-old former governmental building on Zoutmanstraat that also served as the national archaeological museum. This historic building is an attraction in itself, as original details have been kept intact. Today, the walls are hung with an eclectic mixture of Aruban artwork that includes paintings, sculpture and weavings.

Located in a historic building in downtown Oranjestad, Cosecha gallery represents many of Aruba’s premier artists, and features an eclectic range of mediums. Photo: Debbie Snow

Multi-media artist Maria Onni creates signature pieces out of driftwood, each one painted with a different face. The island’s best-known sculptor, Ciro Abath, works in ceramics, bronze casting and kiln casting, and every one of his pieces has a story backed by history and myths. Much of his work is seen in public places and at the airport. Textile designer, Deborah de Weerd enjoys a passion for the colors that she finds in Aruba. Her work includes glass sculptures and macro photography. Painter Grace Ashruf is known for finding the extraordinary in everyday scenes. Her distinct landscape work leads with lines, colors and shapes. The artworks showcased at Cosecha are continually evolving, and you can always find a selection of jewelry and smaller items to carry back home. For more information: www.arubacosecha.com

L’America Gallery

If you think wine, classic cars and art go together then this is your place. The husband and wife team who created L’America were originally from Holland, and have spent 30 years on Aruba. A fondness for both travel and art lead to a growing collection of pieces as they traveled extensively through the Americas. When they ran out of wall space at home, the gallery was born. With that came an art supply and frame shop, and many of the local artists who initially became customers ended up showing their works at the gallery.

Works from across Latin America and beyond grace the walls of Aruba’s L’America gallery. The husband and wife owners continue to collect new works during their extensive travels. Photo: Debbie Snow

The owners also continue to add new paintings and other forms of artwork to L’America’s walls and shelves after each trip to a Latin American country. You’ll find the works of artists from Peru, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina. On the last Friday of each month, the gallery hosts a “Sip and Paint” wine tasting where everyone is encouraged to take brush in hand and create their own masterpiece. At other times of the month, a number of resident and visiting artists also give workshops. For more details: www.lamericagallery.com.

Terrafuse

Part gallery, part workshop, and home to two of Aruba’s best- known ceramic artists, Terrafuse is the creation of husband and wife Ciro and Marian Abath. Here, in a collection of buildings located two miles inland from Palm Beach, the couple pursues their own creative works and stage weekly workshops dedicated to the techniques of glassblowing, bead making and kiln casting.

Many of the smaller pieces on display at the Terrafuse gallery are created from recycled glass. Others draw inspiration from pre- Columbian pottery created by the island’s indigenous people. Photo: Debbie Snow

Marian first became known for creating necklaces and jewelry pieces from Murano glass, and later transitioned to fabricating unique pieces from recycled bottles. Ciro devotes his efforts to larger pieces in mediums that include ceramics, glass blowing, and bronze casting. All of his pieces have a story and a deeper meaning that might include the environment or a global political statement. He gravitates toward his Aruban heritage with works that resemble the pre-Colombian pottery found on the island. Marian works with many young local artists, and sells their work along with hers in the on-site gallery. To find out more: www.terrafusearuba.com

On the northwestern tip of Aruba, a man-made spire rises from the arid coastal landscape of Hudishibana Hill. Though the surrounding cactus covered slopes may resemble the Golden State’s Mojave Desert, the California Lighthouse wasn’t named for a U.S. geographic region, but rather in memory of the S.S. California, a wooden steamship that ran aground and sank just offshore in 1891.

To prevent future nautical disasters, a 98-foot light tower was erected on the point, and went into service in 1916. A century later, the beacon still shines to warn ships at sea, though it is now automated, and the adjacent lighthouse keeper’s home has been transformed into a popular Italian restaurant.

To commemorate the 100-year anniversary of this famous landmark, the lighthouse underwent a renovation and received a fresh coat of paint. The site is best visited at sunset when the tours have departed. Take in the views while enjoying a libation on the outdoor terrace of La Trattoria El Faro Blanco Restaurant, then head inside to enjoy traditional Italian favorites.