On Sundays in February in the Dominican La Carnaval is celebrated. We took the bus to the city of La Vega, in La Vega Province to catch some of the action. It was a three hour ride on the Caribe Tour bus, followed by a five minute taxi ride to the center of the city. You can see pictures of what we saw at this link. Most of what follows are excerpts or direct quotes from various websites.
El Carnaval de La Vega is one of the oldest and most popular Dominican traditions; it dates back to the first European settlers in the early 1500's. It began as a religious activity celebrating the pre-Lent season. The carnival’s theme revolves around the victory of good over evil. During the entire month of February, carnivals are celebrated on weekends and have spread to include most provinces; but el Carnaval Vegano remains the biggest one of all. Music, costumes, food, drinks, it all adds up to a colorful celebration of Dominican tradition and folklore.
The Dominican Carnival is an event in which the whole family can participate. It is a tradition that is also believed to have begun years ago in the Santiago and La Vega areas of the Dominican Republic, but later became a celebration of the countries independence, which culminates on the 27th of February each calendar year. During those years, Dominicans began to develop their own identity. The traditions and celebrations they then began to enjoy established them as purely Dominican for the first time. Many of those same traditions and celebrations have carried through to today and are exhibited during carnival activities. Today, the carnival is celebrated in many parts of the country and seems to gain in popularity every year. Many of its themes today have deep rooted European and African influences. The country's African heritage is reflected in the wildly colourful masks and costumes, the most typical being made of bright satin with dangling ribbons, bells and the compulsory devil horns.
The celebrations usually entail large numbers of colourfully costumed and masked participants parading down streets. In different areas of the country, the celebrations may differ slightly as each regions community adds their own particular flavor to the event. Many of the towns, however, use similar costumes and masks. One of the most popular and commonly seen characters is Diablo Cojuelo. Legend has it that he is a demon that was banished to earth because he was such a prankster. When he was banished, he landed awkwardly on his leg and fell. The term “cojuelo” means to walk with a limp. When this character walks in the parade, he generally does so with a limp. Another figure known as “La Muerte” (the death) wears the classical skull and bones attire and holds a scythe. Another frequently seen character is a transvestite known as “Roba de Gallina” He generally asks store owners for contributions such as money or candy and then shares the items given him with children that follow him around. There is usually also a group dressed as Taino Indians that stage historic dramas and a group dressed as Africans or “Tiznaos”. The Tiznaos blacken their bodies with soot from charcoal and then rub burned engine oil on their skin to give it a glossy shine. Some other commonly seen characters include the chicken thief (Robalagallinas), and the Bear Man (Nicolas Den Den), and Los Indios (The Indians). The devil, however, is always the central figure in the festivities.
Although situated in the picturesque and serene valley of La Vega Real, 125 kilometers north of Santo Domingo, La Vega lacks significant tourist sights, and for 11 months out of a year there really isn’t a reason to visit. But for that one month, February, the best reason to come here emerges during this celebration, when it explodes with energy and activity. Most Dominicans agree that the Carnaval of La Vega is the best, rowdiest, and most fun in the whole country and that no other rivals it.
Every Sunday in the six weeks before Lent, La Vega virtually doubles in size when almost 100,000 visitors pack the town dancing in the streets and it seems that all hell breaks loose. La Vega’s mask (each town has its own) is an ornately decorated and colorful devil with bulging wrathful eyes and teeth. These costumes alone are reason enough to come to Carnaval. These magnificently gruesome devils march along the parade in jingle-bell covered costumes wielding vejigas (traditionally, inflated cow or pig bladders) that they use to thwack bystanders on the backside. To stay clear of this tradition, you must stay on the bleachers set up along the parade route, find a balcony to watch from above, or don’t step off the curb into the street—that is a sign that you are fair game.
Because the cities of Santiago and La Vega have celebrated carnival for the longest time and with the most continuity, they have the most original and recognizable masks. The celebrations in La Vega and Santiago are somewhat different. La Vega, very much an agricultural community, has a traditionalist environment and as a result, the carnival celebrations act as a protector of these traditions. The La Vega carnival is actually celebrated on two levels. The first is the public one celebrated every Sunday in the general area of the central plaza. This is the one that the vast majority of people attend. The second is more of a private celebration which takes place in private clubs and locations where only certain people are invited.
The Carnival La Vega also provides a much needed economic boost to the town every year. The making and distributing of the masks provides employment and many people from around the country and from abroad make an annual trip to La Vega to witness the popular carnival thereby helping out the local economy.
For a detailed history and explanation of La Carnaval and its masks go to this site.
Anyway we had a great time carnivaling in La Vega. Next week, a whale watching trip to Samana.
Happy trails,
Dunc & Kris
