How do you pick & choose from a culture so rich with a history so deep? When brainstorming we were overflown with different ideas and knew immediately that this was going to become a yearly commitment. We started crafting different theme’s, then paused them, put them all in the bullpen to pick & choose one. We went to the core of Dia di Rincon as we’re also celebrating its 35th anniversary: ‘Simadan, the harvest feast’.

But where did this originate from? Our harvesting culture leading to such a beautiful festivity? This journey took us alongside the government plantations in the 1600s, referred to as ‘Landstuinen’. Where our foremothers & fathers farmed producing meat, charcoal, fruits, salt and aloe for export to feed our sister island Curaçao. All happening in the hidden valley of Rincon & its hills surrounding it.

Fastforward to the period after emancipation, late 1800s early 1900s they kept practicing agriculture for the private Shons instead of the Government & West Indische Compagnie. Mostly on the same fields; Karpata, Slagbaai, Washington, Onima, Colombia.

So our forebears held on to what they knew (even prior to colonization).

In 1883 they were granted kunuku lands; ‘huurgronden’ to be able to provide for themselves. And this is were Simadan was born, during harvest season they started helping each other out taking rounds: “Awelbon, mi ta yuda bo korta maïshi awe, anto awe na 8 dia bo ta bin juda ami”.

Cutting the last maïshi around 3pm, afterwards dal biter & play music to celebrate. In the late afternoon, around 5pm they started parading from the kunuku’s with their kosecha (harvest) to their homes in the heart of Rincon. Parada di Simadan was born. 

So let’s go slightly back, back to the fields where this practice originated; 'Den Landstuinen'. Our inspo, our first theme. We’re going to take you on a journey