Random post #2

Dominican Holidays
My favorite holidays as a child were Christmas and Easter/Holy Week. Unlike the US we don’t celebrate things like Halloween and Thanksgiving. Our major holidays are Easter, Independence Day, and Christmas.



Independence Day 

In the Dominican Republic, we celebrate our Independence Day on February 27th. This is a huge celebration. In 2024 we celebrated our 140th year of independence. We were under the Spanish and then Haitians before we gained our independence. For this holiday we have big parades in every region of the country. We are divided into 31 provinces and the National District, the capital of Santo Domingo where I was born. The women and men in the picture are dancing Mangulina which is a typical dance of the country. In the other picture, you can see a Diablo cajuelo. They are part of our carnivals together with the Taimáscaros, Guloyas, Indios, Africanos, Trasvestis, and Roba la Gallina.

Easter 


Semana Santa(Holy Week) is a fun week during the year. I didn’t have school and got to stay home and play with friends. Most of us celebrate this holiday despite not being catholic. In the Dominican Republic, a lot of our holidays are based on the Christian religion, which is the main dominant religion with about 95% of the population. Additionally, we are the only country in the world that has a bible in its flag. The Bible is open to John 8:32 stating "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The flag also includes the words Dios(God), Patria(Homeland), y Libertad(Freedom). During this holiday people in neighborhoods get together to celebrate. You will be able to People setting up inflatable pools in the streets, people eating Habicuela con dulce( Sweet beans), and going to the beach. This is a fun holiday to celebrate with friends and family.


Christmas 

Although I liked both Easter and Christmas, Christmas always had a special place in my heart.  I loved the food, spending time with family, and getting gifts. In the Dominican Republic, we celebrate Noche Buena which is the night before Christmas day. This started as a celebration for the day before Christ was born. It has now become a tradition where family members get together similar to Thanksgiving. Christmas day is a bit different, we don't open gifts we just spend more time with family and eat leftovers. The day we receive presents is January 6th, the day the three kings gave Jesus gifts (El Dia de los Reyes Magos). Since I moved to the USA we now celebrate Christmas Day. The pictures above depict the way La Zona colonial is decorated during the holiday. In English, this is the colonial city, a part of Santo Domingo where we have many houses, churches, and museums that were built when Christopher Columbus came to the island.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Random post #1

When I was a kid one of my favorite things was watching my great-grandmother Tatica cook. If I had to rank my favorite cooks it would be Mami Tacia, mami Oly, and Papi Junior. Growing up I didn’t like cooking, I felt like it was an expectation so I rarely did it. In a typical Hispanic household, it was expected for the girls to learn how to cook while the boys did nothing. I always heard stories about how my mom used to cook for all of her cousins because she was a girl and the oldest. However, my view changed as I grew up and I had evidence to back up my claims. Papi Junior grew up knowing how to cook, clean, and care for himself. These qualities that I rarely saw from a man growing up. He was born in a family of seven where he had four brothers. His mom and dad made it their priority to teach their kids how to take care of themselves regardless of gender. This made me realize that I was treated unfairly by others. My mom personally never forced me to do things I didn’t want to do. Bu...
Read more

The world we image part 3

Image
To: Clark Hansen, CEO, Anima Mundi Development Partners From: Brigitte Ricalde Buntin Subject: Global Access Network Date: December 4, 2024 Global Access Network(GAN)    Our mission Global Access Networks is committed to empowering people to be the change they want to see. Through community engagement and a team of dedicated volunteers, we hope to help communities take control of their lives.  About us Global Access Network is an organization that focuses on assisting those in need. GAN's main areas of focus are education, housing, and food insecurity. We believe that these are issues affecting many people around the world. GAN takes several approaches to combating these issues. First, we identify the country and community we want to assist. For our first job, we want to focus on North and South America. After we have identified a community we communicate with local leaders and NGO’s around the area to obtain a clear understanding of what issues the community is facing. W...
Read more

Book Post #2

Image
    The book I chose is Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others" by Barbara Brown Taylor. I chose this book because I grew up as a Christian in the Dominican Republic. From a young age, I was taught that there’s only one true religion. And that question about anything about it was a sin. However, coming to the USA exposed me to many different religions. I started asking many questions about core Christian beliefs and learning about the different religions I was exposed to. Learning about many different practices opened my eyes and made me take certain beliefs as my own.  The book explores the diversity of religious experiences beyond Christianity. Throughout it, Taylor talked about Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, showcasing the beauty and depth she finds in their practices and beliefs. Taylor emphasizes the idea of "holy envy” which is the admiration and longing she feels for aspects of other faiths that resonate deeply with her spiritual journey. The book so...
Read more