Before my son was born, his father and I agreed that we would prioritize both of his cultures; African American and Dominican. While I have always been familiar with Black History Month, I did not know that Dominican Independence Day occurs during February as well.
While each town and city has their own way of celebrating, everyone comes together for El Carnaval, which takes place on February 27th and lasts anywhere from two to four days. This celebrates the day citizens of the Dominican Republican gained their independence in 1844. As beautiful as the country is, Dominicans had to endure many hardships to earn their independence.
For my family, being able to celebrate Dominican Independence Day during Black History Month is the perfect representation of who we are.
For my family, being able to celebrate Dominican Independence Day during Black History Month is the perfect representation of who we are. Our ultimate goal is to show our son that he can be proud of both cultures without choosing one over the other. In a world where some people try to make us choose one label and stick to it, we don’t want him to feel like he has to choose.
This month, here are the ways we are choosing to celebrate his Dominican heritage on Dominican Independence Day.
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Cooking Special Dominican Recipes
As long as my son’s father and I have been together, one thing we have always prioritized is mealtime. We discovered that we enjoy cooking and eating together so it makes sense for us to pass that tradition down to our son. Now that he is able to eat solid foods, we are going to start cooking more Dominican recipes like Sancocho.
Sancocho is a meaty stew that can be found in other Latin American countries. The difference with the Dominican version of it is that it consists of different types of meats. It is then mixed with vegetables like cassava, ahuyama (West Indian pumpkin), and plantain. The result is a flavorful, hearty stew that can easily become anyone’s favorite dish to make and eat.
Speaking Spanish at Home
Aside from meals, ensuring that our son is able to speak his father’s native language is equally important to us. In the morning, we say “buen dia” which is the shortened version of “buenos dias” and means “good morning.” While getting him dressed for daycare, we will ask him, “como dormistes” to see how he slept and so on and so forth. Every now and then, we can softly hear him try to mimic us which lets us know we are on the right track.
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Listening to Merengue and Bachata
As a music-loving household, listening to Merengue and Bachata is a weekly, if not daily, occurrence. If our son has an appointment or we’re simply running errands, we alternate between listening to ’90s R&B/hip hop artists such as SWV and Tupac, and Dominican artists such as El Prodigio. To be fair, we tried to play songs from Cocomelon and Frozen during car rides, but he would scream the entire time. Once we began playing the clean versions of music we actually listen to, he seemed to be more receptive.
Plus, when he listens Merengue and Bachata music, he does a cute little toddler shimmy and claps his hands together.
Calling Family Members and Planning to Visit the Dominican Republic
My son’s bisabuela (great-grandmom) usually calls to talk to us every week. So we’ll likely talk to her as well as other family members during El Carnaval. They usually speak in Spanish to our son, so it helps him learn the language and connect with them.
At the same time, we want to try to cautiously plan to visit family in the Dominican Republic this year. It will also give us a chance to introduce our son to the country’s rich history. For example, there is the Fray Antonio de Montesinos Monument which pays homage to a Spanish monk who spoke out against slavery. On the lighter side of things, we plan to visit the beautiful and lush greenery along with breathtaking beaches.
The older I get, the more I understand the importance of learning about other cultures. We don’t have to look far to find diversity. It greets us everywhere we turn and some of our families even reflect it. There is so much beauty in different cultures and my hope is that children are able to enjoy, respect, and celebrate diversity as they grow.
