Dominican Republic

Culture and Traditions in the Dominican Republic

The Española how it was named by Columbus enjoys a rich cultural life full of traditions, festivities and dances and offers the traveler a lot of interesting events to visit.

In Santo Domingo, the capital of the country, are numerous museums of interest relating to the culture of the Dominican Republic, as the Dominican Naval Museum, where visitors can find remains of crafts and its contents relating to the XV till the XVIII century. The Museum of Natural History with exhibitions in connection to the environment and the nature; the Museum of the Dominican Man with compilations of relics of the Taino Indian Culture as well as of the prehistory of the island. There are also several museums of modern art with works by native artists.

The marked preference for the dance is part of the culture of the Dominican Republic and this might be the reason that many festivals of different styles take place during the year: One of the most popular is the Jazz Festival of the Dominican Republic or The Festivals of Merengue (the national dance) of Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo. Other of the favorite styles is the bachata, a romantic dance style origin from the country. The visitor will enjoy the cultural delight and even more by joining the music and dances of these celebrations.