Residents celebrate Simadan in the streets of Rincon today

Several parades can be seen today during Dia di Rincon 2024. A big party. Music and dancing will be on display all day. The origins of these festive parades lie in the past, but the spirit lives on in today’s celebrations. But what is actually the idea behind this Simadan?

“The Simadan is the festival of the harvest. In the past, many people worked for the government. Work took place in the Kunuku. Corn, fruit and aloe were grown there. Goats and cows were also kept there. After the abolition of slavery in 1883, Governor Van Brandhof decided to introduce rental land. People who worked in the Kunuku could thus obtain a piece of land to take care of their own lives. These people worked hard during the day. Around 3 p.m. on harvest day they would go on their Kunuku to celebrate that their work was done. For example, the cutting of the corn was then completed. After celebrating on their own estate, these residents went to Rincon in a parade. This was the beginning of the Simadan,” says Nadia.

Dia di Rincon was organized. The Simadan parade was automatically included. At 2 p.m. there will be a Simadan folklore parade. At 9 p.m. there is another parade Simadan for everyone. This will be until midnight. View the entire program of Dia di Rincon 2024 here.

Sansíana Tera Bunita

A total of ten groups can be seen participating in the Simadan folklore. Some groups even have 100 people participating. They walk two or three laps through Rincon. One of the groups is Nadia’s. She can be seen today under the name Tera Bonita Sansiana.

“I have set up a Simadan group. This has been given the name Sansíana Tera Bunita. We set up this group together with artist Luis Moka. His band is called Palu Grandi (big tree). He wants the cultural music to be preserved. Luis is a young artist. The group we have is about thirty people. Our designer Lijntje knew exactly how to do it. She is my aunt and lives in Rincon. Kantelijntje invented and designed all our clothing. Various roles from the past can be found within our clothing line. We dance the Simadan together.” The history of the Simadan group Sansíana is further elaborated on their own website.

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