The Dominican people share religious, linguistic, and historical traditions, but their society remains largely fragmented and individualistic, and their day-to-day experiences are commensurate to differences between their socioeconomic classes, ethnic groupings, and physical settings, among other factors. Much of the population still lives in rural areas—many as impoverished peasants or migrant workers, others as independent small-scale landowners, and a small minority as elite landowners. Moreover, rural life in the Cibao Valley generally diverges from that of the southeastern sugar plantations and other areas, and city life varies from the frenetic pace of Santo Domingo to the more relaxed, traditional character of Santiago and smaller towns.

Sugar plantations in the south provide barracklike housing units for their temporary workers, but more permanent employees frequently have their own small huts, or bohios, often on company-owned land. Some bohios have double-reed walls filled with rubble and plastered with mud, whereas others are little more than lean-tos of palm leaves and bamboo. In the relatively prosperous Cibao Valley, houses are built solidly of palm board or pine and are commonly painted and decorated, with shutters and lintels in contrasting colours. Roofs are most often covered with corrugated metal sheets, but those of poorer households may be thatched. The houses of prosperous families may have concrete floors, but most are of packed earth.

Urban squatter settlements and inner-city ghettos include dwellings constructed of cardboard, discarded inner tubes, and other scavenged materials. Middle- and upper-class houses and apartments characterize many other urban districts. Government programs, often funded with international loans, have financed housing construction for lower- and middle-income families, especially in Santo Domingo, where large neighbourhoods have been built.

Staple foods for poorer Dominicans include rice, beans, and vegetables. The cuisine of middle- and upper-class Dominicans often makes generous use of peppers, fresh seafood, and tropical fruits; meals might include queso fresco (white cheese), fried plantains, hearts-of-palm salad, shrimp pilaf with chiles and onions, or grilled sea bass. Locally produced rums from the Bermudez and Barcelo distilleries are also popular.

The arts

Music, especially when accompanied by dancing, is important at all social levels and in all regions of the country. The most typical forms are those with clear African antecedents, especially in their rhythms. There are also folk songs and tunes deriving from Spain and the Middle East. Popular genres include the merengue, bolero, salsa, and folk songs associated with African heritage. The cities of Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata host merengue festivals at which dozens of groups compete. Radio stations also feature rock music, reggae, and other Afro-Caribbean musical styles, as well as the Mexican ranchera and Cuban danzón. The guitar is probably the most popular instrument, followed by drums, and in some rural areas flutes and homemade marimbas are also common. Juan Luís Guerra, Frank Ceara, and Fernando Villalona are among the many Dominican musicians who have become internationally renowned.

Numerous Dominican painters, including Ramón Oviedo, José Rincón Mora, and Leopoldo Navarro, have produced canvases ranging from exuberant Haitian-style paintings to abstract and Impressionistic works. The tourist trade has sparked renewed interest in Dominican handicrafts, such as ceramics, textiles, wood carvings, jewelry, dolls, and baskets.

The universities, as well as numerous private literary and cultural organizations, have long fostered an interest in the classical European arts of music, painting, drama, and literature. The country sponsors a symphony orchestra, theatres, and art museums.

Literature

During the 19th-century Haitian occupation, a nationalist spirit began to develop in Dominican literature, notably in the poetry of Félix Maria del Monte. Manuel de Jesus Galván continued the trend with his fictional epic Enriquillo: leyenda histórica dominicana (1879–82; “Enriquillo: Dominican Historical Legend”; Eng. trans. The Cross and the Sword), which depicted Spanish settlers’ brutality toward Taino Indians. In the early 20th century, writers such as Américo Lugo and Gastón Fernando Deligne were more influenced by modernism; however, some nationalist expressions arose again in 1916–24, during the U.S. occupation of the country. In the late 20th century, social protest became a major theme, particularly in the short stories of the leftist politician Juan Bosch, who wrote largely from exile. Contemporary writers have focused to some degree on daily life in the Dominican Republic.

Sports and recreation

National holidays on February 27 and August 16 commemorate the country’s independence struggles. Other holidays are largely defined by the calendar of the Roman Catholic church, but the way in which they are celebrated reveals a mixture of official church and ancient folk traditions. Carnival, observed during several weeks preceding Lent, is especially colourful in Santiago. Masked and costumed men and boys circulate in the streets, hitting each other with inflated pig and goat bladders and chanting traditional rhymes intended to provoke each other to what is today usually only playful retaliation. Their masks are usually homemade and constitute a recognized art form in the country. During the final few days of Carnival, elaborately costumed groups of men and women perform in the streets in return for handouts of rum and cash.

Baseball in the Dominican Republic is more than a sport and national pastime—it is a passion. After U.S. marines introduced the sport there, it slowly gained popularity until the 1960s, when Juan Marichal, the Alou brothers (Felipe, Mateo, and Jesus), and other Dominicans became prominent major league players. Their success prompted North American teams to increase their local scouting, recruiting, and financial investments, and by the 1990s major league teams had fielded scores of Dominican players, including the outfielder Sammy Sosa and many shortstops. Hundreds more also play in the minor leagues.

Several Dominicans have become successful amateur or professional athletes in basketball, volleyball, and boxing, such as the bantamweight boxer Pedro Nolasco, who won a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. Football (soccer) is also played in the Dominican Republic, though not as widely as in other Caribbean nations. Cockfighting—usually accompanied by gambling—remains a traditional and popular spectator sport, although it is discouraged in many areas.