Dominican Carnival Characters: Roba La Gallina

This post is also available in: Spanish

The Dominican Carnival, or the Carnaval Dominicano, is one of the most eagerly anticipated and exciting celebrations held in the Dominican Republic and that is why to get you in the spirit of the Carnaval Dominicano, over the next few days, we’ll be publishing articles on the many different Dominican carnival characters and here is #1 – Roba La Gallina (the chicken thief).

Origin

Roba la Gallina is a famous character found in every Dominican Republic city during this massive celebration. According to the Dominican veganos (people from La Vega), the character originates from the Haitian occupation of the Dominican Republic from 1822 to 1844.

At that time, or so the story goes, people caught stealing their neighbors’ or anybody’s chickens were punished by having chicken feathers stuck to their bodies and forced to walk like that in public.

Costume and role

The Roba la Gallina/chicken thief character is typically a man dressed as a woman – presumably meant to be a woman who steals chickens – but before she is caught and punished.

Dressed in colorful, flamboyant dresses with exaggerated hips and make-up, the Roba la Gallina usually carries a big purse filled with candies to throw into the crowd. The purse symbolizes where the woman would hide her stolen chicken.

The Roba la Gallina is among the most popular and funny of all the Carnaval Dominicano characters. They dance and shake their large bottoms, singing “ti-ti manatí, tonton, molondrón, roba la gallina, palo con ella!”

Upcoming Carnival Events

Following the ever-growing popularity of the Carnaval Vegano, which takes place every Sunday throughout February, carnival fever has now spread across the entire Dominican Republic, with carnivals now being celebrated in most cities and towns.

For those of you at Casa de Campo, on Feb. 27, Altos de Chavón is hosting a Dominican Independence Day party at the main plaza.

In Santo Domingo, the Domingo Republic’s capital city, the annual Carnaval de Santo Domingo will be celebrated on the Avenida George Washington on March 3 from the Obelisco Hembra to the Obelisco Macho, whilst the Desfile Nacional de Carnaval (Desfile Carnaval en Malecón) will be taking place on Sunday, March 17, starting at 2:00 p.m. on the “Malecón” (the city’s principal coastal road).

So don’t miss these amazing opportunities to enjoy the Carnaval Dominicano!

This is the first article in a series about the Carnival characters. Stay tuned for more!