10 Interesting Facts about Christmas in Dominican Republic

“Feliz Navidad, prospero año y felicidad”

The general idea of Christmas in our society is a picture that makes us remember snow covered landscapes, frigid temperatures and family spending time together in front of a warm home’s fireplace. But if we are speaking about Christmas in some Caribbean Islands and the Dominican Republic, the celebrations must be a completely new and fun experience for you; far from everywhere and mostly far from the cold winter!


If you are planning to celebrate Christmas in some tropical location of Dominican Republic at the beach, you will have the opportunity to experience the real Dominican festive spirit.


Bite my Vibes would like to make you get in the Dominican Christmas atmosphere and we will make you discover a series of marvelous traditions and curiosities about Christmas in Dominican Republic.

1. La Noche Buena


Dominican people usually have dinner on the 24th December instead of the 25th. Generally, the families get together on Christmas Night and they enjoy delicious typical dishes, food, alcohols around the table well decorated and waiting for midnight cheers.

2. The “Charamicos”


They are a real symbol of Christmas in the Dominican Republic and they are wooden hand-crafted Christmas trees, stars and other animals situated in the streets of the capital city of Santo Domingo or Punta Cana (In Santo Domingo you may find the best Charamicos decorations along Churchill Avenue). According to their history, Dominican artisans started making these white “charamico” trees, as a creative way to see Christmas and of having white trees covered in “snow”, considering the fact that there will never snow in DR.

3. Angelitos (Little Angels)


In the majority of countries we just call it “exchange of presents” but in the Dominican Republic, the term used for this tradition is “Angelito”.


It’s a Christmas tradition of exchanging presents between friends, colleagues and beloved ones. Every person writes their names on small papers and then put all together in a box and everyone will pick up one, in this way every person will have a personal “angelito“.


4. Dia de Los Reyes (Day of the Kings)


Dominican children do not receive gifts until the day of the kings, which is January the 5th. After the Three Kings pass on their camels every child goes to bed, but before they place some water and grass under the Christmas tree for the camels.

5. The “Aguinaldos”


We are speaking about informal parties at home open to everyone where different people sing and dance traditional Christmas songs and they share typical food and drinks.


The Aguinaldos have always been the typical Dominican Republic way of celebrating Christmas. You can experience these informal community parties in the most populated areas of the island where the sense of community is very strong and genuine like Jarabacoa, La Vega, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and Santiago.

6. “Flores de Pascua”


“Flores de Pascuas” (Christmas Flowers) represents the star of the Birth’ of Jesus Christ. Often, are given to friends and people of the family as a special gift during the Christmas holidays and they are used as a decoration for the houses.

8. Dominican living in America come back home for Christmas annual pilgrimage

Dominican people consider Christmas one of the most important day of the year due to the fact they are catholic. As we know a lot of Dominicans are living in the USA right now and they just wait every year Christmas to come back to their home towns and spend their holidays visiting relatives and enjoy the time with family and friends.

9. The Dominican Christmas Eve dinner and Dominican typical dishes


During the Christmas Eve Dinner the women of the house they generally prepare and serve typical Christmas menu. You can enjoy the taste of Dominican food and the most typical dishes around the table like cerdo asado (roast pork), pasteles en hojas (wrap of banana leaves filled with pork, meat, chicken or fish), ensalada rusa, pastelones de platano and moro de guandules (Kind of rice with beans). You will end your tasteful dinner with a large variety of sweets like Pudding, Jalea de batata, and turrón. Finally, there is a drink made with ginger called jengibre, it’s nonalcoholic and ordinarily only drunk during the colder months in the Dominican Republic.

10. Dominican Republic for your Christmas Holidays!

Do you know that Dominican Republic is one of the favorite islands for tourists that want to spend Christmas holidays far away?


A lot of people every year choose to spend their Christmas in a totally new way: sunny air, away from cold and snow and celebrating the day on the beautiful beaches of Dominican Republic.

So why wouldn’t you explore spending Christmas at the beach in Dominican Republic? How about starting a new family tradition listening some Dominican bachata or merengue Christmas songs and sipping on a mojito?

So let’s enjoy the traditions and curiosities of this magic period of the year and have a Bite of Christmas in Dominican Republic!

[:de]

“Feliz Navidad, prospero año y felicidad”

The general idea of Christmas in our society is a picture that makes us remember snow covered landscapes, frigid temperatures and family spending time together in front of a warm home’s fireplace. But if we are speaking about Christmas in some Caribbean Islands and the Dominican Republic, the celebrations must be a completely new and fun experience for you; far from everywhere and mostly far from the cold winter!


If you are planning to celebrate Christmas in some tropical location of Dominican Republic at the beach, you will have the opportunity to experience the real Dominican festive spirit.


Bite my Vibes would like to make you get in the Dominican Christmas atmosphere and we will make you discover a series of marvelous traditions and curiosities about Christmas in Dominican Republic.

1. La Noche Buena


Dominican people usually have dinner on the 24th December instead of the 25th. Generally, the families get together on Christmas Night and they enjoy delicious typical dishes, food, alcohols around the table well decorated and waiting for midnight cheers.

2. The “Charamicos”


They are a real symbol of Christmas in the Dominican Republic and they are wooden hand-crafted Christmas trees, stars and other animals situated in the streets of the capital city of Santo Domingo or Punta Cana (In Santo Domingo you may find the best Charamicos decorations along Churchill Avenue). According to their history, Dominican artisans started making these white “charamico” trees, as a creative way to see Christmas and of having white trees covered in “snow”, considering the fact that there will never snow in DR.

3. Angelitos (Little Angels)


In the majority of countries we just call it “exchange of presents” but in the Dominican Republic, the term used for this tradition is “Angelito”.


It’s a Christmas tradition of exchanging presents between friends, colleagues and beloved ones. Every person writes their names on small papers and then put all together in a box and everyone will pick up one, in this way every person will have a personal “angelito“.


4. Dia de Los Reyes (Day of the Kings)


Dominican children do not receive gifts until the day of the kings, which is January the 5th. After the Three Kings pass on their camels every child goes to bed, but before they place some water and grass under the Christmas tree for the camels.

5. The “Aguinaldos”


We are speaking about informal parties at home open to everyone where different people sing and dance traditional Christmas songs and they share typical food and drinks.


The Aguinaldos have always been the typical Dominican Republic way of celebrating Christmas. You can experience these informal community parties in the most populated areas of the island where the sense of community is very strong and genuine like Jarabacoa, La Vega, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and Santiago.

6. “Flores de Pascua”


“Flores de Pascuas” (Christmas Flowers) represents the star of the Birth’ of Jesus Christ. Often, are given to friends and people of the family as a special gift during the Christmas holidays and they are used as a decoration for the houses.

8. Dominican living in America come back home for Christmas annual pilgrimage

Dominican people consider Christmas one of the most important day of the year due to the fact they are catholic. As we know a lot of Dominicans are living in the USA right now and they just wait every year Christmas to come back to their home towns and spend their holidays visiting relatives and enjoy the time with family and friends.

9. The Dominican Christmas Eve dinner and Dominican typical dishes


During the Christmas Eve Dinner the women of the house they generally prepare and serve typical Christmas menu. You can enjoy the taste of Dominican food and the most typical dishes around the table like cerdo asado (roast pork), pasteles en hojas (wrap of banana leaves filled with pork, meat, chicken or fish), ensalada rusa, pastelones de platano and moro de guandules (Kind of rice with beans). You will end your tasteful dinner with a large variety of sweets like Pudding, Jalea de batata, and turrón. Finally, there is a drink made with ginger called jengibre, it’s nonalcoholic and ordinarily only drunk during the colder months in the Dominican Republic.

10. Dominican Republic for your Christmas Holidays!

Do you know that Dominican Republic is one of the favorite islands for tourists that want to spend Christmas holidays far away?


A lot of people every year choose to spend their Christmas in a totally new way: sunny air, away from cold and snow and celebrating the day on the beautiful beaches of Dominican Republic.

So why wouldn’t you explore spending Christmas at the beach in Dominican Republic? How about starting a new family tradition listening some Dominican bachata or merengue Christmas songs and sipping on a mojito?

So let’s enjoy the traditions and curiosities of this magic period of the year and have a Bite of Christmas in Dominican Republic!

[:]