It's Carnival...and Other Holidays!

Christmas

Easter

Because of the Spanish influences early on, the Dominican Republic is dominantly Roman Catholic and therefore celebrates Christmas and Easter. Each of these holidays has food that is traditional to the Dominican Republic. At Christmas, families gather around a feast of “roasted pig, pigeon peas, and boiled chestnuts.”(Culture of the Dominican Republic) At Easter, Dominicans enjoy the dish Habichuelas con Dulce. This recipe calls for mashed red kidney beans mixed with coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, raisins and sweet potatoes. The mash is then cooked on top of cassava bread (Albala 126). At both of these occasions, there is much drinking and eating in order to bring together the family and celebrate (Albala 126). In February, there is also Carnival to celebrate the Dominican independence. Along with the many foods that are served at this festival, the most consumed are banana leaf bundles. These consist of a paste made with vegetables, spices, tomato paste, beef, yautia root, plantains, and name smeared onto a banana leaf, which is then folded and boiled (Albala 124). The food is not the only aspect of the Carnival that is important but also the masks (Gonzalez 332). These masks are planned very far in advance and are used to disguise people’s identity in order for them to have freedom from their normal lives for the night (Gonzalez 332). In her article, Gonzalez also talks about a custom during carnival where “boys and men from 6 to 60 appear on the streets dressed in highly stylized kind of costume through out the month preceding Easter”(Gonzalez 333) They are called “lechon” or ‘pig’ (Gonzalez 333). She then states that, “As the Lechones stroll through the streets, they are offered drinks of rum or beer, occasionally food items”(Gonzalez 336). What I took from this custom was that they were rewarded with food and drink for their costumes. Using what I have learned about Dominican culture, I can infer that this is done in kindness, as food seems to bind families and groups together.

                                              Pictures of Carnival

References

Albala, Ken. “Dominican Republic”. Culture of the World Encyclopedia. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011.

Culture of the Dominican Republic. Elizabeth Vanepsgarlo.2011. Countries and Their Cultures. 1 December 2011. < http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Dominican-Republic.html#b> .

Gonzalez, Nancie L. “Social Functions of Carnival in a Dominican City”. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Volume #26, No. 4( Winter, 1970):  pp. 328-342.