Carnival
Each Year in February, there is Carnival in the Dominican Republic and 500 years
of tradition comes to live. With new colors and each time with new,
even more fascinating costumes, to honor the tradition.

The roots of the Dominican carnival are in Europe, Spain.
As Columbus discovered the island 500 years ago, the Spanish settlers brought this tradition.
Since this moment the European tradition has been adapted from the new, multicultural,
Dominican Civilization and developed by their culture.

What you see in today's carnival is a, primary colorful and crazy spectacular
with costumes and masks developed in 500 years of history. Each part of the
Dominican Republic has a special kind of costumes and masks, which reflect
their surrounding and live.

Beside of the "new" Costumes, you also find costumes and masks, which have their
roots in Africa. They came in the Dominican Republic in the process of slavery,
so with the Spanish conquerors in the late 15th century.

Without paying attention to the historic facts of the Dominican carnival, you will
enjoy the colorful and wild spectacle. If you are visiting the Dominican
Republic in February you should not miss to visit "La Vega" or "Santiago",
the cities with the oldest carnival tradition. Every weekend in February are
big carnival happenings on the streets.