Here, Easter festivities take place for the whole week. It´s called Semana Santa. Kids have off school, all my host sisters workplaces closed, and we had a break from training beginning on Thursday, which is where my tale of Semana Santa shall begin.
In the afternoon, a few hours after lunch, I was served a very special treat. It´s a treat that I had heard a lot about, as it is always made during Semana Santa. Like women in the midwest with their pumpkin pies, the donas here have competitions as to who can make the best ... and recipes are kept secret. So what is this amazing treat? Habichuelas con dulce .. translation¨is SWEET BEANS. It is made with kidney beans, evaporated milk, raisins, coconut, sugar, cinnamon and a root vegetable called batata. Habichuelas con dulce can be served cold or hot and is eaten with a spoon. I must admit that it´s actually quite good. I can get over an Easter without jelly beans.
In the evening my host sister took me to a party where people ate, drank, and danced. It was not unlike other parties I´ve been to here. An interesting cultural note is this--the Taino indians that initially inhabited this island were entirely eliminated by the Spaniards. Hence, Dominicans´roots can be traced to Spain, and due to the Slave Trade, Africa. African roots are not embraced here, but a European Catholicism is. So, without African or Indigenous influence, Semana Santa passes without the large colorful celebrations that so many other Latin American countries have. Instead, we spent Maunday Thursday drinking Prsidente and dancing merengue.
For me, Easter is synonomous with getting an Easter bunny from my mom. I was ok with not having one this year, that is until I was visited by a Dominican subtitute for an Easter Bunny. After Thursday´s party, I was sitting and talking with my sister when a VERY large rat scurried across the rafters above my head. Later as I was preparing for bed, the terrible subsitute for an bunny visited my bedroom!
The rest of the weekend passed quickly. We spent a lot of time just sitting and talking. On Saturday, my sister took me and a few others to the river where people sat, swam, and drank --apparently the most popular tradition! A 10 year old took me to church one day. It lasted about 20 minutes. Later I spent 3 hours playing dominoes.
Sunday, Easter Day, a lot of businesses re-opened and I had my final Dominican substitution for an American Easter. What better replacement for a cute yellow baby chick than a Dominican cock fight?!?
A few of us caught a bola, or free ride, up the mountain to meet up with one of our Spanish teachers who took us to the gallera. The ring was packed tight with all men, minus myself and another volunteer. Cigars were smoked, beer drank, and money passed through many hands. Spurs were attached to the cock´s feet and their legs were shaved bare, and then tobacco rubbed on their legs in order to irritate the skin. I made it through one and a half fights, which was maybe 10 minutes. I enjoyed watching and listening to the men as they were so passionate about the fight itself, but couldn´t quite stomach the aggression and gore. Cultural experience!... but not exactly a bright-eyed baby chick, eh?
habichuelas con dulce for jelly beans,
a giant rat for an easter bunny,
a cock fight for baby chicks,
whatever, I love it here!
In the afternoon, a few hours after lunch, I was served a very special treat. It´s a treat that I had heard a lot about, as it is always made during Semana Santa. Like women in the midwest with their pumpkin pies, the donas here have competitions as to who can make the best ... and recipes are kept secret. So what is this amazing treat? Habichuelas con dulce .. translation¨is SWEET BEANS. It is made with kidney beans, evaporated milk, raisins, coconut, sugar, cinnamon and a root vegetable called batata. Habichuelas con dulce can be served cold or hot and is eaten with a spoon. I must admit that it´s actually quite good. I can get over an Easter without jelly beans.
In the evening my host sister took me to a party where people ate, drank, and danced. It was not unlike other parties I´ve been to here. An interesting cultural note is this--the Taino indians that initially inhabited this island were entirely eliminated by the Spaniards. Hence, Dominicans´roots can be traced to Spain, and due to the Slave Trade, Africa. African roots are not embraced here, but a European Catholicism is. So, without African or Indigenous influence, Semana Santa passes without the large colorful celebrations that so many other Latin American countries have. Instead, we spent Maunday Thursday drinking Prsidente and dancing merengue.
For me, Easter is synonomous with getting an Easter bunny from my mom. I was ok with not having one this year, that is until I was visited by a Dominican subtitute for an Easter Bunny. After Thursday´s party, I was sitting and talking with my sister when a VERY large rat scurried across the rafters above my head. Later as I was preparing for bed, the terrible subsitute for an bunny visited my bedroom!
The rest of the weekend passed quickly. We spent a lot of time just sitting and talking. On Saturday, my sister took me and a few others to the river where people sat, swam, and drank --apparently the most popular tradition! A 10 year old took me to church one day. It lasted about 20 minutes. Later I spent 3 hours playing dominoes.
Sunday, Easter Day, a lot of businesses re-opened and I had my final Dominican substitution for an American Easter. What better replacement for a cute yellow baby chick than a Dominican cock fight?!?
A few of us caught a bola, or free ride, up the mountain to meet up with one of our Spanish teachers who took us to the gallera. The ring was packed tight with all men, minus myself and another volunteer. Cigars were smoked, beer drank, and money passed through many hands. Spurs were attached to the cock´s feet and their legs were shaved bare, and then tobacco rubbed on their legs in order to irritate the skin. I made it through one and a half fights, which was maybe 10 minutes. I enjoyed watching and listening to the men as they were so passionate about the fight itself, but couldn´t quite stomach the aggression and gore. Cultural experience!... but not exactly a bright-eyed baby chick, eh?habichuelas con dulce for jelly beans,
a giant rat for an easter bunny,
a cock fight for baby chicks,
whatever, I love it here!
1 comment:
So, does anybody eat the rooster's feet?
Post a Comment