Dominican Carnival is a vibrant celebration of Dominican culture and identity. It’s a time when Dominicans of all ages and from all regions take to the streets, at home or in neighboring carnival cities, to enjoy parades with their families and loved ones.
Every Sunday during February, colorful parades occur in every major city and region around the DR–some extending through the first week of March. La Vega Carnival is the oldest, largest, and most popular, followed by Santiago. Other cities hosting unique parades include Santo Domingo, Montecristi, Bonao, Puerto Plata, Río San Juan, and Barahona. Costumes, masks, and mystical characters are distinct to each area and reveal Dominican folkloric traditions and beliefs, as diverse as the country’s population.
The season usually launches with a vibrant indoor carnival gala show in Santiago and culminates with Independence Day celebrations on February 27. The most colorful event of all is the final National Carnival Parade—usually held the first Sunday of March in the capital of Santo Domingo. It brings together carnival groups and characters from around the DR for one last, big carnival hurrah along the city’s Malecón waterfront boulevard.
Origin & History
Carnival in the Dominican Republic dates back to 1520, during Spanish colonial times. Some researchers say the first carnival events occurred as a celebration of Fray Bartolomé de las Casas’s visit, when inhabitants disguised themselves as Moors and Christians.
Between 1822 and 1844, the tradition of wearing costumes during religious festivities almost disappeared during the Haitian occupation. But it returned immediately when the country achieved its independence on February 27, 1844. Costumes were no longer associated with religious celebrations, and evolved into actual carnivals, celebrated three days before Ash Wednesday. February was then established as the month of carnival in the Dominican Republic.
La Vega Carnival
Known as one of the country’s oldest and most famous carnivals, La Vega’s celebration is renowned for its vibrant costumes and the iconic “Diablos Cojuelos” that playfully chase spectators.
Santiago Carnival
This carnival is celebrated with a strong emphasis on cultural heritage and features elaborate costumes and masks. The “Lechones” and “Pepines” are traditional characters that dominate the festivities, representing different neighborhoods in Santiago.
Bonao Carnival
Known for its creativity and artistic expression, the Bonao Carnival features unique characters and themes each year. The event is celebrated enthusiastically and highlights the town’s rich cultural traditions.
CHARACTERS
To fully enjoy and understand Dominican carnival, familiarize yourself with the main characters, and their significance in Dominican folklore.
Roba La Gallina
Or “the hen robber,” is a man dressed in an extravagant, layered dress, with large-sized breasts and exaggerated posterior, and carrying an oversized purse. She parades in the streets with an open parasol, stopping at the “colmados” or bodegas begging for his chicks–the town’s young people–who follow him in the parade.
Los Lechones
Are the city of Santiago’s main carnival character, and are also a form of limping devil. They distinguish themselves with their masks–representing the face of a pig, with a long snout and tall horns–and their elaborate costumes featuring a colorful, beaded romper encrusted with bells and bows. Their role is maintaining order in the streets during festivities, which they attempt by swinging their fouet in the air.
Los Taimáscaros
Are Puerto Plata’s main carnival characters. They are a version of the Diablo Cojuelo, mixing three cultural influences in their outfits: a mask representing the Taino gods, blouses and coats representing Spanish heritage, and handkerchiefs representing African deities.
Guloyas
Are from San Pedro de Macorís, and their striking beaded costumes and tall feathery hats are impossible to miss. They represent Afro-descendants from neighboring English-speaking Caribbean islands who migrated to the DR in the early 20th century to work in the sugar industry. Their unique African-influenced music and dance were proclaimed a UNESCO Masterpiece of Intangible and Oral Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
Los Pintaos
From Barahona–parade in intricately painted bodies in various colors, from head to toe, with just a piece of cloth covering their nakedness. They represent the Maroons–escaped enslaved people who took refuge in the southwestern mountains of Bahoruco in the 16th century.
Los Tiznaos
Also known as Los Africanos or the Africans, are characters whose faces and bodies are painted black with coal and burned car oil. They portray enslaved Africans, and dance along the streets.
Los Platanuses
These traditional characters were born from the legacy of the enslaved Africans in Hispaniola, specifically in Cotuí. The Platanuses cover their bodies with dried plantain leaves, paint their faces in different colors, or wear masks. On the final day of the carnival, it is traditional for the “Los Platanuses” to let the people remove the dry leaves from their costumes. Several other Dominican carnival characters have been derived from “Los Platanuses”, such as; “Los Funduses”(make their costumes with plastic bags), “Los Papeluses”(make their costumes with pieces of papers) and “Los Trapuses” (make their costumes with pieces cloth); all of them from Cotuí too.
El Diablo Cojuelo
The carnival’s leading character. This “limping devil” wears a colorful cloaked suit adorned with tiny mirrors, rattles, ribbons, and cowbells, as a parody of Spanish medieval knights. A mask with large horns covers the devil’s face, as he carries a round whip or vejiga–made from a cow’s dried and cured inflated bladder–and goes along the parade route, surprising distracted onlookers with a lash on their buttocks.
Thanks to the Community Liaison Office for putting together this information!