Christmas in the Carribean

Would you like to know how Dominicans celebrate or the expats?

Dominicans have a mega-supper on Christmas eve. The usual menu is roast pork, moro de guandules con coco (rice with pigeon peas in coconut milk) and ensalada rusa (potato salad). Cidra (sparkling apple wine) and ponche (eggnog) are the favourite alcoholic drinks. It's a big family occasion.

Dec 25th is hangover day.

Some children get their gifts on Christmas morning but the traditional Dominican custom is for the Three Kings to bring the gifts on January 6th. There is a Three Kings procession in Santo Domingo each year. Gift giving is mostly concentrated on children, but adults exchange gifts of food and drink. It is customary to give employees and poor acquaintances a basket of food for the Christmas eve meal.

Expats celebrations must vary according to their nationality and to what extent they incorporate local traditions into their celebrations. A BBQ on the beach is a definite possibility!

Christmas trees and lights are everywhere. The imported seasonal icons like Santa, reindeer and the like sit side by side with the traditional Dominican 'charamicos' - crude but charming figures of angels, animals and trees made out of twigs and straw.

A central feature of the festive season is the firework craze. Temporary firework stands spring up on every street corner come December, and every night from then onwards is punctuated by loud bangs and flashes. It culminates on the night of the 24th and of course on New Year's eve, but everything in between, before and after is noisy as well.

There is more information about Dominican Christmas food on the cooking website in my sig. line, as well as some of the recent entries in my blog.

What did you think Santa wears in the tropics? A hawaiian shirt and bermuda shorts?

Santa wears his traditional wintry garb, and many shop employees and even street vendors take to wearing Santa hats at work during the festive season.

If you make it to the DR, we'll organise a beach BBQ in your honour. I've just been on the phone to a friend making plans for New Years Day on the beach.

!No sea tu falta!

New Years Day on the beach ... what a nice dream!

Thank Gawd after Today the official Eating Season is OVER!

Christmas here is what you make of it.
The way the locals do it, as chiri so well described.
Many expats have just a bbq or simular, as it is so many nationalities, with so many traditions, a simple and nice bbq is a good solution.

We had a mix of Dominican and Swedish christmas this year, with visitors from home and a local touch from here.