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Over the long weekend from the 25th to the 27th of February, the Dominican Republic commemorated a spectacular historical celebration; the Dominican Independence Day, as well as a cultural celebration; the “Carnaval Dominicano” – and this year under the title of “Carnaval de la Marina”, many residents and Casa de Campo villa owners enjoyed a colorful Carnival at the Marina Casa de Campo last Saturday the 25th of February!
It was 5pm on a Saturday afternoon when Casa de Campo villa owners, residents, guests and visitors from La Romana town and other regions of the Dominican Republic arrived in the Marina Casa de Campo to enjoy the colors and rhythms of one of the Dominican Republic’s most popular celebrations – the Dominican Carnival.
The “Carnaval de la Marina” united comparsas (carnaval groups) from Casa de Campo, La Romana, La Vega and Santo Domingo who dressed up as popular Dominican Carnival characters for a spectacular parade! The “Diablo Cojuelos”, “Roba la Gallina”, “Las Cañeras”, “Guloyas”, among others, were part of the parade which started at what used to be the “La Palapa” (near the supermarket), where the visitors enjoyed a fun and dynamic “warming up”.
Organized by the Marina Casa de Campo’s administration and loved and known member of the La Romana community, Ricardo Bello, the parade started at 5:30pm, making its way through shopping Boulevard, the “Calle Barlovento”, which was marvelously decorated by some shops and boutiques, such as the Rubiluna Collection, La Enoteca and Jenny Polanco. As they made their way through the Calle Barlovento, many amused visitors had the opportunity to take photos with all the different characters, before the parade made its way into the Marina’s main area, the Plaza Portofino – where all the comparsas danced to traditional rhythms, as they were introduced to the excited crowd.
After all of the comparsas were formally introduced to those who attended, the parade continued along the Paseo del Mar pier and other main streets at the Marina Casa de Campo, after which at 9pm, the Dominican singer Marcos Caminero set end to a wonderful cultural celebration with a spectacular concert at the Plaza Portofino. Congratulations to the organizers and all participants! The following photos were taken during the “Carnaval de la Marina” at the Marina Casa de Campo:Outstanding characters at the “Carnaval de la Marina”
The “Guloyas” from San Pedro The “Carnaval de la Marina” was dedicated to the “Guloyas”, a group which is known to represent those who worked at the sugar cane factories during 19th century. During this time, the immigrant workers from the Caribbean English islands incorporated their music, food and religious beliefs into the traditional “Carnaval Dominicano.”
Modern Avatar character Since the Dominican Carnival is a combination of many characters which represent famous stories, people and events that have ocurred in the past, there was one particular character which is part of our “modern history” – taken from the Avatar Movie that featured a talented Dominican actress, Zoe Zaldaña.
