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Serena Eastman
Seora Jara
Spanish One
2 December 2014
Dominican Republic: National Festivals, Holiday Customs, & Religion
The Dominican Republic is one of the most beautiful countries and cultures to explore.
Its culture has many aspects to admire, including its celebrations, customs, and religious
practices. There are many holidays and festivals which bring people from all over the world in
addition to the locals to celebrate.
One of the most celebrated holidays in the Dominican Republic is Nuestra Seora de la
Alta Gracia, or also known as the day of the Virgen de Altagracia. The holiday is celebrated on
January 21st and thousands from all over the country travel to the cathedral of Higuey, to
worship, pray, and ask for healing and protection. The Virgen de Altagracia is believed to be the
"Queen" and "Protector of all Dominicans", "Altagracia" meaning grace. Another big holiday is
the Dominican Republic's Independence Day, which is on February 27th. The holiday was
declared when the Dominican Independence War announced autonomy from Haiti, its
neighboring country.
Another huge holiday is Semana Santa, which is like the Dominican Republic's version
of Easter. Most locals hit the beach to enjoy the country's biggest holiday of the year. One thing
that is pretty interesting about this celebration is that on Good Friday, only light classical music
is played through the country. In fact, if any loud music is heard playing, police authorities will

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reinforce this law. there are parades and dancers in pretty costumes. Then as the weekend and
festivities conclude, a major Voodoo celebration ends the events in the sugar plantations near the
Haiti border. Christmas is the other major holiday in the Dominican Republic. A lot like America,
trees decorated with colorful ornaments and festive lights are put up everywhere. A lot of native
Dominicans will return home for the glorious time. Wedding season is at high time during this
period as well. The celebrations begin at the beginning of December and last until January 6th,
the day of the three kings, or da de los Reyes.
As for national festivals, The Carnival is the biggest in the Dominican Republic. Unlike
other celebrations which are based off religion, the Carnival was created by the government. The
festival lasts the entire month of February with the climax on Independence Day. The event is
distinguishable with thousands of people dressed bright and colorful costumes, many of them
replicating traditional and religious characters - including Diablo Cojuelo, the "limping devil".
The story goes that a very immature devil roamed around pulling silly and foolish pranks. One
day he was condemned to live on earth and when he hit the ground, he hurt his leg, hence the
"limping devil". Another one of the popular characters seen during this time is Calif, who
shouts poetry in the streets, making complaints about societal and governmental issues to
symbolize the voice of the people. Another major character, or group in this case, are the Los
Indians. Men and women dress as native Taino Indians to showcase Dominican origins. The
festival is also known for its music, with merengue and bachata as the popular choices. The
festival also holds parades, the three major ones being held in La Vega, Santo Domingo, and
Montecristi.
The Dominican Republic's dominant religion is Roman Catholicism. Over half of the
country's population are baptized Catholics. The two major patroness saints of the Dominican

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Republic are Nuestra Seora de la Altagracia (Our Lady of High Grace) and Nuestra Seora de
las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercy). This religion also plays a major role in the country's culture,
celebrations, and holidays. Protestantism is also a pretty major religion in the Dominican
Republic. Judaism was also brought into the country when a group of Jews fled Germany and
founded the city of Sosa during World War II. Voodoo is also big in the country as Haitian
voodoo had made its way across the border.
In conclusion, the Dominican Republic holds so many beautiful holidays, festivals,
celebrations, and practices that make its culture unique. Although it it a very different culture
than that of America, the Dominican Republic's customs are admirable in many ways.