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 Puerto Plata, city of the Dominican Republic
A great diversity of cultures have left their mark on Dominican society. Around 700 years AD people from Venezuela entered the island Hispaniola, and called themselves Taino which means 'friendly people'. Traditional Taino foods and medicines are familiar today, and Taino words - like hammock and tobacco - still influence the language.
A year after Columbus 'discovered' the island of Hispaniola, he brought around thousand colonists to the island. These Spanish settlers gave the country their language, the Roman Catholic faith and a deep strain of machismo.
Africans brought here as slaves, years after the Spanish settlement, brought their own faith, inextricably bound in the dominant European offering, as well as art and music.
And even US troops left their mark - Dominicans love baseball. It is a special mixture of cultures!
Music and dance is at the heart of Dominican culture. The most popular dance is the world famous merengue, which will be played, full volume, almost anywhere you go in the country. The Dominicans also love Bachata, Dominican country music, with plenty of songs about heartbreak and loss. Salsa makes the third favorite musical type in the Dominican Republic, but you'll find jazz, rock, hip-hop and just about anything else that'll keep your feet moving. |
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Do's and Don'ts
| Social customs | Politeness towards others and a polished appearence will get you far in the Dominican Republic. On the other hand, whining and complaining will make anyone look foolish and does nothing to change the situation. So just relax and enjoy yourself while you are on this tropical island. | | Clothing | Dining out is a special event in the Dominican Republic and is best done in elegant clothes, not in your beach clothes. Dress smart casual at lunch and dressier at dinner. | | Local cuisine | The normal local time for dinner is about 9 or 10 PM, restaurants usually open around 6 PM, and it will be easier to get a table in a popular restaurant if you eat early.
Local dishes often have a Latin twist, especially the omnipresent paella. Sancocho is one of the most filling dishes, a thick stew made from five to seven different meats. Arroz con pollo (chicken with rice) is a staple on every menu. Platanos, or plantains, are cooked in a million different ways. A light delicious lunch might be a tortilla de jamon (spicy ham omelet). One of the most favoured desserts is a hearty cornmeal custard called majarete. | | Drinks | The local beers are Bohemia, Quisqueya, and Presidente, and the local rums are Brugal and Bermudez. It's a real Dominican delight to toast the end of a good meal with a dark brown rum, called anejo. | | Tipping | Restaurant bills include a 10 % service charge, but wages in this sector are very low. Employees would really appreciate an extra tip for their sustanance. You can pay an additional 5 to 10 % if the service has been good. It is common to leave around 15 to 20 pesos per day for the person who cleans the room. Taxi drivers generally receive about 10 percent as a tip. The usual tip for porters is at least 10 pesos per bag. |
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 Merengue dancers, Dominican Republic
95% of the population is Roman Catholic. There are small Protestant and Jewish minorities.
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Cultural attractions
| Date | Event | | February | Cabarete Alegria | This event in which the country dedicates the entire month of February to fun, with weekend events like mountain-bike races, kite-flying competitions and sand-castle building contests. | | End of February | Carnival | One Carnival is not enough for fun-loving Santo Domingo. The pre-spring celebration, which is echoed throughout the country, always begins two or three days before February 27 (Independence Day) and ends a few days later. It's a great party combining Catholic decompression with African spirituality, not to mention great costumes, spectacular floats and all the rum you can drink. | | Before Easter | Holy Week | Dominicans from all over the country flock to the bayside city to compete in volleyball contests, drink, relax, and dance the night away. | | June | Cultural Festival | This event takes place in Puerto Plata, with jazz, blues, merengue and folk concerts throughout town. | | The last week of July and first week of August | Merengue festival | This is the epicenter of the art form, attracting the world's top talent to Santo Domingo for a festival that engulfs the city and surrounding suburbs in music and dance. | | August 15th | The second Carnival | This carnival begins August 15, to coincide with Restoration Day (when the Dominican Republic declared war on Spain); August festivities may be marginally more sedate, but they're still the perfect place to wear that sequined-and-feathered number. | | First week of October | Merengue festival | This is another merengue festival that takes place in Puerto Plata. | | October | Latin Music Festival | This three-day during festival takes place in the capital, when everyone from Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin get down with Tito Rojas and Fernando Villalona. | | Encuentro Classic | An internationally known windsurfing spectacular that pits the sport's stars against the hurricane season. |
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