Massive and Successful Celebration of the “Long Night of the Museums”

Massive and Successful Celebration of the “Long Night of the Museums”
Santo Domingo, December 15, 2014

The joy was evident on the faces of the children, who, like their parents, gathered early last Saturday in the Colonial City to enjoy the traditional “Long Night of the Museums”.

The Ministry of Culture, the event organizer, carefully planned every detail so that everything ran smoothly and within a secure environment, especially for those in the audience, so that they could experience exciting moments while they were in contact with the heritage of the Dominican Republic.

The doors of the museums opened at 9 am, but the opening ceremony of the Long Night of the Museums, led by Minister José Antonio Rodríguez, was held in the evening at Plaza España.

The official was accompanied by the Deputy Ministers Federico Henríquez Gratereaux of Cultural Heritage; Juan Tomás García, of Creativity and Popular Participation; Ana María Conde, Director General of the Museums; Carlos Salcedo, Director of the Ministry of Culture, and Raysa Astacio, Director of the Alcázar de Colón Museum.

Mrs. Astacio welcomed the audience and thanked them for supporting each edition of the Long Night of the Museums, which is offered four times a year to coincide with the seasons.

There were long lines in front of the museums of people waiting to come in to appreciate the attractions, including at the Alcázar de Colón, the Museo de las Casas Reales, the Ozama Fortress, the Trampolín Museum, Casa de Teatro, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the Dominican Man, Casa del Tostado, and the Palacio de las Telecomunicaciones. The Casa Museo Gregorio Luperón, located in Puerto Plata, and Centro León, in Santiago, opened their doors in the Northern region.

The theme of the Long Night of the Museums was Christmas. Therefore, Christmas carols and the colors of the season abounded in each of the buildings of the city, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The food was also present with tastings of ginger, roasted pork (Puerco en puya), cakes wrapped in banana leaves (pasteles en hoja), arepas, biscuits, cassava and other culinary dishes, together with the setting of Christmas trees and decorations, colored lights and lively music, which brought a touch of the holidays at the end of the 2014 Long Night of the Museums. During this gathering, the children and young people, as well as the adults, were able to partake of the lectures, artistic presentations, workshops and performances, as well as of the 13th National Crafts Fair, which was taking place in the facilities of the Fortress of Santo Domingo.

The artistic attractions of the Christmas edition of the Long Night of the Museums were: the performance of the “Nutcracker”, offered at 10:00 pm at Plaza España, and the great concert “El valor de la Navidad dominicana”, which took place during the closing ceremony at midnight.