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Jul 11, 2012 · For El Carnaval de la Vega, all the stops are pulled: Music, costumes, food, drinks, and more all add up to a colorful and vibrant celebration of the island’s traditions and folklore.
- La Vega’s Diablo Cojuelo
- The vejiga: The Devil’s Weapon
- La Vega’s Carnaval de La Boa
- Los Lechones of Santiago
- Los Taimáscaros of Puerto Plata
- Los Guloyas of San Pedro de Macorís
- Los Pintaos of Barahona
- Las Cachúas of Cabral
- Los Indios
- Los Brujos of San Juan de La Managua
Dating back to the 1500s, Carnaval de La Vega or Carnaval Vegano is the biggest, most vibrant carnival celebration in the Dominican Republic. Its principal character, the diablo cojueloor limping devil, is instantly recognized because of the exaggerated mask features, with protruding eyes and teeth. Dressed in a cloak, shiny shirt and broad trouser...
A defining characteristic across the country’s Carnivals is the devils’ use of vejigas, inflicting pain on anyone in their path. These aren’t your regular whips: they are made of a cow’s dried, inflated bladder, cured with lemon, ashes, and salt. They are so hard to the touch that anyone who receives a vejigazo on their buttocks may be bruised for ...
Held in the morning, prior to the main La Vega Carnival a couple of streets away, is the less publicized Carnaval de La Boa. This is a traditional version of how Carnival used to be celebrated in La Vega 50 years ago–with simpler costumed devils with whips, who dance, leap, and pose with children. It stretches just one block, but is a popular pick ...
Carnaval de Santiago is the second most popular Carnival in the country after La Vega. It’s one of the most creative and colorful, and among the liveliest in crowd participation around the city’s iconic Restoration Heroes Monument. Santiago’s reigning carnival characters are the lechones or “piglets”—devils in masks that resemble the face of a pig ...
Puerto Plata’s most popular devil characters are Los Taimáscaros, made of the words Taíno and “mask.” A group of young men from Puerto Plata created this identity in 199 to help uplift the community spirit while reinforcing the trio of cultures that represent them as Dominicans: Taíno, African, and European. To date, there are about thirteen active...
A unique Afro-Caribbean group in the Dominican Republic are the Cocolos: the descendants of enslaved Africans who were brought to the DR in the late 19th century from the British islands of the Caribbean. Approximately 6,000 originally came from Anguilla, Barbados, St. Kitts, Nevis, Tortola, Turks and Caicos, and St. Croix, among other places, to w...
Some of the comparsas or carnival groups have more recent origins yet carry great cultural significance. The southwest town of Barahona is known for Los Pintaos–the painted–a group created in 1997 by Francisco Suero Medina, locally known as El Gato. They made their debut in the national parade in 2000, and in 2008 were awarded the highest Carnival ...
The southwest also has a devilish character inspired from the days of Maroon resistance in the mountains of Barahona: Las Cachúas, from the town of Cabral. The Cachúas make an appearance at the National Parade, but are mostly known to participate in the Carnaval Cimarrón or Maroon Carnival, spanning three days at the end of Holy Week. It’s the last...
In areas such as Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, and La Vega, you will see various groups representing the Taíno, first inhabitants of the Dominican Republic who were exterminated by the Spaniards through disease and murder. Adults and children dress up in grass skirts and feathers, bodies smeared in brown paint, torsos bare for the men. They carry bo...
It was believed that there once were witches living in the southwestern city of San Juan de La Managua. Witchcraft was a common practice, hence the name of one of the Carnival troupes from this region.
Mar 5, 2024 · The Carnaval de la Vega, dating back centuries to the country’s colonial past, stood as the pinnacle of celebrations, offering an unfiltered glimpse into the vivacious spirit of the Dominican people.
February is known as Carnaval month in La Vega, and the local Carnaval is arguably the most famous such event in the whole of the Dominican Republic. El Carnaval Vegano is celebrated each Sunday in February. This event brings to this city thousands of tourists each year.
May 23, 2023 · Carnival in La Vega, is a vibrant and culturally rich celebration that captures the essence of the country's traditions and folklore. Held annually in February, the La Vega Carnival is one of the oldest and most colorful festivals in the Dominican Republic.
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Jan 24, 2024 · Jan 24, 2024 at 7:29 AM. Updated on Jan 24, 2024 at 6:08 AM. The La Vega Carnival sets the tone for the celebration of colorful carnival events nationwide in February. The carnival parades are traditionally held on Sundays in February. The La Vega Carnival is said to be the oldest in the Caribbean.
Consider visiting in February to take part in the outstanding La Vega Carnival. Every year an estimated half a million people flock to the city of La Vega to watch the mischievous devils “diablo cojuelos” with their bloated pork bladders go after anyone who gets in their way. The colorful costumes, many costing thousands of dollars to make, are works of art in themselves.
