January-June<\/P>
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January 1 – New Year<\/B>
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The year begins with a New Year celebration. From the night before, parties are held in the streets, plazas and houses. Some people traditionally wear white or new clothing, burn incense and change some goods in the house for good luck.
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Santo Cristo de los Milagros de Bayaguana.<\/B>
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A religious and popular festival celebrated since the beginning of the Spanish colonization and after the devastation of Osorio in 1605-06. This worship festival enjoys great popular acceptance, as people make a pilgrimage to this community to participate in the festivities, which include a series of events like the offering and sale of bulls (whose proceeds go to the Church) and the procession, with songs in competition, prayers, praises, while ginger tea, coffee and food, accompanied by beef, are prepared.
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January 6 – the Wise Men<\/B><\/P>
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A popular festival, especially for children, who, the night before, leave sweets, mint candies, and cigarettes for the kings, as well as grass and water for the camels underneath their beds or the Christmas tree, and hope for presents in exchange. On the fifth, in Santo Domingo, a parade of Wise Men on horses takes place.
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January 21 – Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de La Altagracia or Virgen de la Altagracia<\/B><\/P>
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This is the most widespread religious and popular festival in the country. Festivities are dedicated to the Patron Saint of the Dominican people, in the Bas\u00edlica de Hig\u00fcey, starting on January 12 with novenas and including masses, prayers, songs, petitions, praises and, above all, a pilgrimage toward Hig\u00fcey accompanied by drums. The celebration of popular worship is held at the national level: in Arroyo Hondo (in Ban\u00ed), Cabrera (Mar\u00eda Trinidad S\u00e1nchez), Cata\u00f1uelas (Montecristi), Pedernales, La Victoria (Distrito Nacional), Villa Altagracia (San Crist\u00f3bal), Nagua (Mar\u00eda Trinidad S\u00e1nchez), Las Yayas (Azua), R\u00edo Arriba (Peravia), Monte Plata, Para\u00edso (Bahoruco), Acosta (Saman\u00e1), La Monter\u00eda (Peravia) and Nizao (Peravia), among others.
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February 2 – Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Candelaria<\/B><\/P>
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Religious and popular festival celebrated in the sector of San Carlos, a neighborhood of Santo Domingo, in Guerra (Prov. Monte Plata) and Sabana Grande de Boy\u00e1 (Province of San Crist\u00f3bal).
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February 16 – San El\u00edas or el Bar\u00f3n del Cementerio.<\/B><\/P>
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In centers of popular religion, a day of worship to San El\u00edas or the Bar\u00f3n del Cementerio, head of the Gued\u00e9 division, a part of Dominican voodoo, is celebrated in an act of syncretism, as he is identified as the first person buried in the cemetery. The faithful followers of this deity give offerings of food, flowers, candles, songs and prayers and ask favors of all sorts on this day, Monday and November 2, D\u00eda de los Fieles Difuntos, or All Souls’ Day.
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March 3-4 – San Benito de Palermo<\/B><\/P>
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Religious and social festivities belonging to the community of Guayabal (Azua), where salves, traditional Dominican call and response songs, are accompanied by atabales, typical Dominican long drums.
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March – April – Lent<\/B><\/P>
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The Lenten period begins with Ash Wednesday, a ritual that announces the 40 days of fasting and prayer in preparation for Holy Week.
During the period, traditional Lenten dishes are prepared, such as fish and seafood, vegetables, cod and traditional beans or habas con dulce.
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Holy Week<\/B><\/P>
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A product of Dominican-Haitian cultural syncretism, during the last days of Holy Week, specifically Thursday to Friday. The religious ritual is celebrated in the bateyes, or worker settlements, of Gag\u00e1, by mixing African, Haitian and Dominican musical and dance elements.
During the Holy Friday and Saturday, in communities in the south of the country, costumed men wearing devil masks as a sign of fertility emerge with foetes (wooden sticks) in hand.
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April 14 – La Dolorita<\/B><\/P>
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Religious and popular festival in honor of La Dolorita the most venerated virgin in the community of Los Morenos in Villa Mella. During this celebration, salves and prayers are sung and atabales are played and all of the members of the community participate.
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April 19 – San Expedito<\/B><\/P>
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Religious and popular rituals in honor of San Expedito, also called Gued\u00e9 Nib\u00f3, the patron saint of youth, family, the elderly and the duties of the State and business, especially of corner convenience stores.
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April 23 – D\u00eda Internacional del Libro and de San Jorge<\/B><\/P>
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The Feria Internacional del Libro, the International Book Fair, is the largest exhibition of books and cultural activities in the country. The book show and store is accompanied by a program of cultural events carried out by the student population.<\/P>
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May 1 – San Jos\u00e9 Obrero<\/B><\/P>
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Popular celebration in Villa Jaragua (province of Bahoruco) and in the parish of Ensanche Ozama.
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May 2-3 – Sant\u00edsima Cruz de Mayo<\/B><\/P>
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It is one of the oldest and most popular festivals of the country. Celebrated from colonial times, it originated from the discovery of the cross of Christ by Saint Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine. In the country, crosses or crucifixes are decorated, altars are constructed and processions are held with drums and salves. The celebration is important in the provinces of San Crist\u00f3bal and Peravia.
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May 3 – San Felipe<\/B><\/P>
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Celebration of the patron festivities in Imbert and the city of Puerto Plata in the province of the same name.
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May 13 – Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de F\u00e1tima<\/B><\/P>
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Religious and popular celebrations in honor of the Virgin in Villa Sinda (Province of Montecristi), Galv\u00e1n (province of Bahoruco), Arenoso (province of Duarte) and Hondo Valle (Saman\u00e1).
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May 15 – San Isidro Labrador<\/B><\/P>
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Celebrations in honor of the saint in Castillo (province of Duarte), Luper\u00f3n (Puerto Plata) and Las Caobas (Santiago Rodr\u00edguez), among other communities.
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May 21 – (moveable) Esp\u00edritu Santo<\/B><\/P>
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One of the oldest and most important festivals of the country, celebrated since the Spanish colony. The celebration has special relevance in Villa Mella and its surrounding areas, in which the Cofrad\u00eda Congos de Villa Mella, a percussion brotherhood, declared World Heritage by UNESCO, plays congo music in the spirit’s honor and has done so since the 18th century. The Catholic Church celebrates Pentecost. The Batey de San Juan de la Maguana celebrates the festival of Saint John the Baptist.
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May 22 – Death of Olivorio Mateo<\/B><\/P>
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In San Juan de la Maguana, the anniversary of the death of the leader of the most important messianic movement in the country, which occurred in 1922. Parties and processions are held in his honor in San Juan de la Maguana and other localities.
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May 30 – San Fernando<\/B>
Patron festivals in honor of the saint in the city of Montecristi on the date of its founding.
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June 13 – San Antonio de Papua<\/B>
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Festivities for the patron saint are celebrated in the communities of Bonao (Monse\u00f1or Nouel), Guerra (Monte Plata), La Victoria (Distrito Nacional, Villa Riva, Prov. Duarte), Monci\u00f3n (Santiago Rodr\u00edguez), Miches (El Seibo). The celebrations are accompanied by the singing of salves, the playing of atabales and prayers. The most representative activity of the celebration is the dance of la Comarca.
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June 18 – Fiestas del Esp\u00edritu Santo<\/B>
This festival is one of the oldest celebrated in the national territory and is a demonstration of Afro-Dominican religious syncretism. The Cofrad\u00eda Los Congos del Esp\u00edritu Santo de Villa Mella, a declared World Heritage, participates.
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June 22 – Thursday of Corpus Christi<\/B>
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Celebration of the Catholic liturgy, one of the oldest celebrated in American and Santo Domingo. It contributes to carnival and is known in the popular realm as “The day that the Donkey talked”.
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June 23-24 – San Juan Bautista<\/B><\/P>
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Festival that dates back to colonial times, celebrated in communities like Ban\u00ed, San Juan, el Naranjo (Barahona), Bayaguana (Monte Plata), Santiago and Santo Domingo. In this celebration, atabales are played, salves are sung, the people pray and horse races are held. The Sarandunga (in Peravia) is one of the most important musical manifestations, as it reflects Afro-Dominican cultural syncretism.
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June 29 – San Pedro and San Pablo<\/B>
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Celebrations for the patron saints in the communities of San Pedro de Macor\u00eds, las Salinas (Barahona), el Cercado (San Juan de la Maguana and Fundaci\u00f3n (Peravia)). In San Pedro de Macor\u00eds, a characteristic element of the festival is the participation of the Guloyas, or dance groups, which perform traditional Dominican dances.<\/P><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
January-June January 1 – New Year The year begins with a New Year celebration. From the night before, parties are held in the streets, plazas and houses. Some people traditionally wear white or new clothing, burn incense and change some goods in the house for good luck. Santo Cristo de los Milagros de Bayaguana. A … Continue reading “January-June”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1127","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominicanaonline.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominicanaonline.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominicanaonline.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominicanaonline.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominicanaonline.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominicanaonline.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1127\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominicanaonline.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}