 The
Dominican Republic is an Island located in the Caribbean.
It was part of the Island called La Espaniola. It was one of the
first islands discovered by Christopher Columbus. It was named Espaniola
in honor of Spain.
The Dominican Republic has a lot of colonial and historical places, such as the first university and church established in America. We also have a lot of colonial monuments, which were built during colonization. The Dominican Republic has as its neighbors Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica. Since we were conquered by the Spaniards, Spanish is the language spoken. The first inhabitants were native Indians. During the Spanish colonization, the Spaniards brought African slaves. Therefore, we have mixture of cultures and customs. The Dominican Republic became independent from the Haitian dominion and slavery on February 27, 1844. After years of tyranny and slavery, the founding fathers and leaders of the revolution freed the people. Independence's Day is the most celebrated day in the Dominican Republic. This is the day when everybody feels proud to live in a country of freedom and sovereignty. We celebrate this commemoration with a carnival. The carnival takes place during the whole month of February. The name of the carnival is “The February 27 carnival." During the month of February, people meet every Sunday to participate in the carnival. The carnival takes place in the capital, which is Santo Domingo. It goes on for the whole day. People meet in the streets to see the parade. In the carnival we have food dishes, music, and people who dress in costumes. One of the most favorite and popular customs is the devils, cajuelos. It is the most colorful and exciting custom. People choose to dress as devils to represent evil. The costume has a tail and horns. They usually have bright colors to catch the attention of the viewers. If people dress as devils they will get to hit the viewers. They dance while they go through the parade. This is one of the most noticeable and enjoyable parts of the carnival. They carry a black bag on their hands. This bag contains clay. While they are marching and dancing, they approach the people that are standing on the streets and hit them with the bag. They try to hit as many people as possible. If you run while they are trying to hit you, they will chase you to wherever you go. They will not let you go until they hit you. They usually hit you in the buttocks and thigh. One of the rules when they try to hit you is that you are not allowed to put your hands in the spot that they are going to hit. If you do, they will hit you more. This goes on for the whole day. So you can imagine how many times a person is hit. If you ever decide to visit the Dominican Republic come during the carnival season, but watch out for the devils because they are going to try to get you! |