A carnival of vibrant masks and music swallows the streets of the Dominican Republic every year over the waning days of February. It is a celebration that became tradition as a result of the Dominicans’ independence in 1844. As a result, Carnival Dominican will occasionally fall on Dominican Independence Day and is guaranteed to kick off on or before Lent, the Christian season of fasting and a theme prominently laced throughout the festivities.
The word carnival originates from the Italian carne vale, translating to the removing of meat. This definition lends to the process of stripping ones self of prior restraints; an action that serves as more of a premature reward to those abstaining over the forty days of Lent.
To be witness to this brilliant display of colors and music and religion is something that is not limited to a specific area of the Dominican Republic. Every town hosts its own carnival; every celebration flavored differently. As a result, the festivities become a unifying experience for the country’s residents, while remaining unique to the individual town. For the indecisive traveler, at ends choosing one Dominican resort over another, the choice is far from limited, as anywhere you end up staying will be at or a short walk from a carnival.
No matter the town you visit, the “Diablos Cojuelos” or Devils are the central characters of the carnival. They respond to different names, but generally keep to the same demonic representation. In Santiago they are known as Lechones, Cachuas in Cabral, Toros in Montecristi, Papeluses in Cotui, Guloyas in San Pedro de Macoris, Plantain Leaves Devils in Barahona, Maimantas in Hato Mayor, and in Bonao they are called Mascaros.
In Cabral, the Cachuas are considered some of the most authentic and lively group of devils among all of the Dominican Republic’s carnivals. The demonic figures of Montecristi, the Toros, translating to Bulls, participate in a festivity that pit them into a mock fight where they are violently whipped. The devils of Cotui wear paper clothes for their carnival. Those are only a sample of the variations. Depending on the location of your stay, your experience may be unlike any previously mentioned.
The representation of Death, unlike that of the Diablo, is a figure that remains universal in all cities of the Dominican Republic. Death is suited in the traditional skeleton and skull attire, dripping in blood and wielding a scythe. As in many Hispanic cultures, the death figure is not something necessarily feared or burdened with the negative connotations other cultures tend to associate it with. Death’s role is not as animated as that of the Diablos, although it is given the responsibility of chasing down and grabbing onto the feet of children so that they may be hit by the air-filled bladders of the Diablos.
A typical carnival experience can be summarized as frantic noise and color, all enveloping a religious motif that the festivities recognize with floats and masks and dance and music. It conjures a sense unity and warmth among the town’s people, the country, and those merely visiting.
Enid Glasgow is a travel writer who enjoys traveling in the Americas and Caribbean. When visiting the Dominican Republic, she stays at exclusive Dominican Republic resorts such as Melia Caribe Tropical.
Please Rate this Article
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Travel & Leisure Articles Via RSS!
