Fabio La Rosa is a Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-based business leader with over a decade of experience in the real estate sector. As the founder of Grupo Noval, Fabio La Rosa guides the construction of commercial properties, custom vacation homes, and beachfront condos in the popular tourist destination of Punta Cana.
Carnaval is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the world, but the individual iterations of the celebration are incredibly unique. While many associate the annual springtime revelry with Brazil, a number of South American and Caribbean nations also recognize Carnaval. These nations include the Dominican Republic.
The history of Carnaval in the Dominican Republic dates back to the middle of the 1500s, and the regional celebration shares a number of similarities with pre-Lenten celebrations held in communities around the world. Each year, the varying regions of the Dominican Republic celebrate Carnaval over a series of weekends in February and early March. Each Sunday, residents and visitors gather to watch eclectic parades featuring music, dancing, and vibrant costumes. The celebrations reach a climax on February 27, which is Dominican Independence Day.
Dominican Carnaval parades often blend elements of African, European, and Taíno Indian cultures and feature music in the styles of bachata, merengue, and salsa. Participants dress as fictional characters that have become synonymous with the Carnaval season. These fabled figures include the mischievous Diablo Cojuelo, a masked devil who surprises revelers by swatting them with balloons or vejigas.
