Holiday Season in Dominican Republic

How the holidays are going to be celebrated in Dominican Republic and the slight differences.

Who doesn't love a holiday, getting a break from the 9 to 5 is always welcomed, and if you’re getting paid too, of course. We are at the end of the year, so that means it's holiday season in Dominican Republic. Thanksgiving recently went by in the US, and being here in DR you wouldn't be able to know that it was Thanksgiving without watching US programs, in my case (NFL) also known in Latin America as “American Football.” In other words, Thanksgiving doesn't exist in Dominican Republic, but you can celebrate it as you may wish. Now we do share some of the same holidays like Christmas, and New Years, some traditions are the same and some have slight differences on how they are celebrated.

The time is among us, a festival that gives people the excuse to fly to Dominican Republic and party all day and night. It’s called Patronales, translated to English means the bosses. I don't know the correlation between the two, but I do know that Patronales brings out everyone to the party. Held throughout the country in multiple towns as a wonderful expression of the modern side of the Dominican culture – from food to live music, dancing, and all-night partying. It’s almost as if Patronales can’t be missed, I believe it's every month except for July and August. I experienced Patronales a few times. With some of the biggest crowds you'll ever see, an event where everyone will feel welcomed. The live concert shows (free) draw huge crowds and the shows end at reasonable times, but after the DJs takeover and the party can go well into the next day. Food vendors galore, and plenty of spots to buy water because keeping hydrated is a must.

Dominican Republic is predominantly a Christian/Catholic country, so they do celebrate Christmas. There are a few notable differences. From my observation Christmas in Dominican Republic is centered around a big family dinner. The barbershops and Salons are always full with everyone getting ready for that day. Dress to impress, put on your best outfit for the family dinner, it's expected. The family dinner isn't just the immediate family either, the extended families and family friends are also coming along. There's plenty of food to go around. The idea is to eat light in the daytime, because later on that evening your plate is going to get full a time or two. Now this dinner happens on the 24th evening time, what most would call Christmas Eve. In Dominican Republic the 24th of December is called “noche buena” and it’s all centered around the dinner. Now, as for the 25th Christmas Day, it's so fittingly named “El Calentao” and like the meaning, this day is about warming up leftovers from yesterday's feast. On this day family will come together in the afternoon to finish off the food from the day before.

Receiving gifts takes a back seat to spending time with family, and even some of the closest friends join in. It’s very common that someone could be having a family Christmas dinner of their own, step out for a short period to drop by a friend's home that is also having a family Christmas dinner. Conversations, catching up and seeing each other far outweighs the gifts. The expectations of gifts are not high, and not so expected. They (Dominicans) are so appreciative with receiving a gift and will show a great level of gratitude. It’s clear to me that the Dominican people look most forward towards Christmas for spending time with family, and filling up their stomachs eating buffet style dinners.

Now you might be wondering when are the gifts exchanged? Well, as mentioned before, there are some slight differences. Gifts are received around 2 weeks after Christmas Day. On January 6th and that day is called “Dia de Reyes” (Kings Day). This date celebrates what is known in the Catholic religion as Epiphany. Dia de Reyes comes from the Biblical story of the 3 wise men who followed the North Star to Bethlehem bringing gifts to baby Jesus as a celebration of his birth. As an expat I think to myself isn't this what Christmas is supposed to be like? lol somehow, we got away from this. In North American culture it's business, it became more about marketing and gifts, a money grab. Less about extended family, and not much mentioning of Jesus, if any. On the plus side of giving out presents on January 6th oppose to December 25th. That extra two weeks makes a world of difference, it gives parents time to recover from paying those end of the month bills.

New Years in DR is pretty much like New Years anywhere else, with the fire crackers, parties, staying inside for the countdown. It all depends on the people and what they choose. One main difference is that the hour is ahead in Dominican Republic, they don't partake in Daylight savings.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

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