Monday, April 30, 2012

Dia di Rincon--The Festival of Festivals Celebrating the Kunukerus, Past and Present

In our series of last three stories, we’ve been exploring the lives of current kunukerus on Bonaire, but today, to close out this series, we joined the rest of the island in the village of Rincon, for the annual Dia di Rincon Festival, truly a festival celebrating the kunukeru life on Bonaire when everyone becomes a kunukeru for the day.

With ladies in traditional costumes, bands playing local music, and it seemed everyone was dancing the simadan dance (the harvest dance), today everyone enjoyed the kunuku lifestyle.  There was plenty of krioyo food (local food), as well as plenty of beverages to wash the food down!  Bands were playing, people were dancing in the streets, and all had a wonderful time.

At sunset, the traditional Simadan was performed to give thanks for a good harvest.  Although the festival has been modernized over the years so that there’s something for everyone to enjoy, the roots go back to the traditional kunuku lifestyle on Bonaire.

View images of today’s Dia di Rincon on the Bonaire Insider Photo Gallery by clicking here.  (Source:  Bonaire Insider Reporter)