By José Arias
El Inmobiliario
Santiago de los Caballeros is the cradle of the most authentic traditions of the cultural, economic, political and social identity of the Dominican Republic.
Their Christmas celebrations are characterized by their stately, joyful, and popular nature. All social groups come together to celebrate this time of year with the invaluable symbol of family unity, friendship, and love, sharing with friends, acquaintances, and loved ones.
Always hoping that a new birth of the Christ Child will bring not only peace and prosperity to the Heart City, but to the entire country. From its carnival, considered the quintessential cultural industry, to the effervescence and flavor of perico ripiao, Christmas brings back the traditional Christmas carols in working-class neighborhoods, the celebration of ginger tea on the street corners of the legendary Los Pepines neighborhood, and the boisterous and festive arrival of Christmas Eve and December 31st in the heart of the city: the Monument.
The Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña, inaugurated Villa Navidad 2024 on December 1st, in the gardens of the Gran Teatro del Cibao, for the fun and joy of the whole family.
The beautiful lights of the City Hall illuminate the nights, accompanied by singing and families visiting the area. (Fidel Pérez / El Inmobiliario)
To tell us properly about how the people of Santiago celebrate Christmas, El Inmobiliario Útil y Veraz interviewed Dr. Reynaldo Peguero, director of the Santiago 2030 Strategic Plan.
“Regarding Christmas traditions in Santiago, we can say that over time there has been an evolution of the festivities, from the neighborhood, micro-localized, to the urban as a whole,” commented the professional.
He said that previously it was the neighborhoods that founded the city, such as La Joya, Los Pepines and Baracoa, that celebrated Easter collectively.
Currently, Peguero highlighted, the city has 155 square kilometers “which means that Christmas has expanded to be celebrated, obviously at the monument to the Heroes of the Restoration, the Gran Teatro Cibao, the Centro León, the Casa de Arte y Cultura and the Historic Center with the spontaneous popular dances.
The heart of Christmas
The Santiago monument is a meeting point for all the popular and middle-class neighborhoods of the city, which is why local authorities and business sectors refer to it at this time of year as "The Heart of Christmas".
“Every night we have celebrations with perico ripiao music and parties around the monument in an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence and harmony,” Peguero stated.
The director of the Santiago Strategic Plan reported that the large saman and ceiba trees surrounding the Santiago City Hall become artistic assets when adorned with impressive strings of lights to make the Christmas spirit more festive.
“The enchanted Christmas forest of Santiago” is also part of the charms exhibited by the Heart City, with an architectural design through which Mayor Ulises Rodríguez has redesigned the structure of the Municipal Palace and its surroundings.
León Center
The Centro León, one of the most prestigious and established cultural institutions in Santiago, the country and the Caribbean, celebrates its 18th anniversary with “My Neighborhood is in Christmas”, together with business and cultural institutions, aimed at promoting the Christian values of the season and rewarding the most traditional and original decorations.
For the decorations, recyclable materials are used, and a series of talks and discussions, as well as training on project management, have been promoted among the residents of the neighborhoods.
More than 223 streets in the neighborhoods of La Joya, Los Pepines, Baracoa, Cienfuegos, Nibaje and others have been decorated, accompanied by an educational and cultural offering that has generated 25 community meetings with successful results in promoting creativity and the Christmas imagination.
Thousands of people have enjoyed this initiative, which strives to showcase the results of collaborative work that includes popular Christmas gifts in the streets.
Article originally published in the 9th edition of El Inmobiliario print magazine.
