Culture

Four diverse cultures mingled to create the island culture of Dominica: The native Caribs influenced the British and French settlers who brought slaves from Africa with them. The resulting creole culture is evident in Dominica's food, language, dance and music as well as in many other important cultural expressions throughout the island.

Music and dance are important facets of the Dominican culture. Music of every kind can be found on the island, but calypso, reggae, cadence, and local folk music are particularly important. Each village on the island has its own village feast, which is a celebration of that village. Village feasts happen throughout the year around the island.

Carnival is an island-wide festival that takes place throughout the Caribbean. Dominica's Carnival celebration is known as Mas Dominik. It occurs before Lent and involves a"jump-up" celebration, as well as street parades and, of course, music. Wild costumes and calypso music are entertaining pieces of the celebration.

The state's major holiday is Independence Day, 3 November. It is preceded by festivals, competitions, and events starting in August, including Heritage Day, Creole Day (Jounen Kwéyo`l), and the three-day World Creole Music Festival, This is the local event that get the most publicity internationally. It federates Dominicans and visitors alike. During these three nights of festivities, wild rhythms from around the world can be heard in succession in the capital. The event attracts musicians come from all corners of the world, and they'll help you discover once again the beat of « lypso » and « bouyon «, Haiti's compas, zouk from Martinique and Guadeloupe, African « soukouss », Louisiana's « zydeco », Cuba's salsa...

Dominican cuisine is drawn heavily from our diverse creole background. Common main courses comprise of meat (usually chicken, but can be goat, lamb, or beef) covered in sauce. The sauces are either spicy pepper sauces, or concoctions made from local fruit. Particular delicacies of land crabs and opossums are very satisfying. A huge variety of tropical fruit such as tamarind, sour sop, and passion fruit, are served on the island, usually in juice or sauce form. Sorrel, a red flower that only blooms around Christmas, is boiled and blended with ginger and other spices into a bright red drink.

Dominica has a long history filled with traditions. One of the most noticeable of these traditions is the style of dress seen on the island. Colorful garments often show plaid and batik-inspired patterns. Women in particular wear this unique style of clothing. The first creole style worn by freed women was worn on special occasions - Sundays and feast days - and was called the"jupe." These outfits consisted of a floor length skirt in a bight color over top of a white cotton chemise. The neck, sleeves, and hem were trimmed with lace, and a handkerchief in white was wrapped around the head or shaped into a bonnet. A"foulard," a cotton triangle in white or another bright color, was laid over the chest. The dresses resembled those of French provincial women.

Language is also important in island festivals. The local Kokoy and Kwéyòl patois give the celebrations, particularly Carnival and Independence, a linguistic tradition with deep roots in many cultures.