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Dominican Culture

The culture of the Dominican Republic has its origins in a unique mix of African, Taino and European roots. Some traditions and origin of some words can be traced to the island's native, the Taino tribe. Spanish colonization had much influence in many spheres of the island's life. Dominicans speak Spanish language. Roman Catholic religion is the dominant practice on the island, with a few Episcopalian Christians and Jews filling out the mix. The cultural machismo is also a Spanish influence.

Africans who were brought to the island as slaves also made an important contribution to the Dominican culture. Over the years, African religious beliefs have combined with Roman Catholic faith to become part of a folk religion, and the music and dance combined with local styles has merged into forms of music that are distinctively Dominican.

Dominican Music

Dominican Music

The Dominican Republic is known primarily for merengue music and dance, although salsa and bachata are also important musical forms. The word "merengue" literally means whipped egg whites and sugar. It is difficult to say how this word came to be associated with this type of music and dance. Traditional Dominican merengue is the combined expression of the aboriginal guiro (a metallic tube that, when scratched, produces a sound that leads the rhythm), the African tambora (a double-pathced percussion instrument), and the European accordion. The rhythm dominates the music, and is the most characteristic feature of merengue.

As time went by, other instruments, such as saxophones and trombones were introduced. Electric pianos, basses and synthesizers joined merengue orchestras during the seventies, creating a harmonic sound that made merengue popular not only in the Dominican Republic and Caribbean, but also in many other countries of the world.

Bachata is another style of music, which is popular in the Dominican Republic. It evolved from bolero, a pan-American style originated in Cuba. The guitars (lead, rhythm , and bass) are the main instruments in bachata. They are accompanied by the bongo and guira. The Dominican bourgeoisie at first dismissed bachata as worthless and it was therefore given the name bachata, meaning a rowdy lower-class fiesta. It was informally banned from Dominican radio and television. But now bachata gained wide acceptance, and can be heard almost as often as merengue.