Tag: Music Dances

Popular Vacation Spots that are perfect for the Holidays

Many people get time off over the holidays, and they want to make the most of that time. There are plenty of places where you can spend the holidays enjoying a lovely vacation. Disneyland and Disney World are among the busiest places on holidays, including Christmas day. People of all ages find the magic kingdoms to be a delightful place to make memories for the holidays with their entire family.

Since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, many people find themselves with a four or five day weekend over that period of time. Going to Las Vegas is a great place to spend this holiday as it is always alive with action 24 hours per day. You will also find plenty of restaurants in Las Vegas that offer you the best Thanksgiving Day meal you have ever been a part of.

Las Vegas is also one of the most popular locations for New Years Eve. The entire strip is shut down from traffic and people are dancing, drinking, and having a good time in the streets. Many people compare it to the activities taking place in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Spring break is a very popular holiday for the high school and college crowds. They often choose to spend that time at various beaches including those in Florida and California. Hotels are over run with these people having parties all night long and then spending their days at the beach.

Most of these beaches host fabulous activities during spring break to make sure people keep coming back year after year. Live music, dances, and various contests are just a sample of the different contests you can enter. Since spring break falls differently for various schools, these beaches are often full from the second week of March until the very end of the month.

Surprising someone you love with a fun vacation to another country or a part of the world they have always wanted to see is a great way to share the holidays. Imagine waking up Christmas morning in Spain or Paris instead of at home. There are plenty of great places that you can see during the holidays so dont limit your options.

The down side to traveling to popular vacation spots for the holidays is that they are in demand. That means you will likely pay more to visit them during that time of year than normal. You will also need to make your reservations early or you will find that all the flights or the hotels have sold out and you wont be able to spend the holidays there.

Take a look at various vacation package deals to help you save as much money as possible when you take a vacation over the holidays. Most package deals for travel include your airfare, hotel accommodations, and a rental car if you want one. You can also choose to add tickets for shows or events you want to take part in.

Once you have decided where you want to spend the holidays, you can start comparing prices. Find out what your local travel agent can offer you and surf the internet on your own. Dont forget to look in the travel section of the newspaper or to take advantage of advertisements you get in the mail. For many people the ability to be able to take a vacation over the holidays will depend on the price they are able to get the trip for.

There will also be more people to deal with at that particular vacation spot over the holidays in most instances. If you dont like being a part of a large crowd or you hate to wait in line, you will want to prepare yourself for these issues while vacationing over the holidays. This way you can focus on having a great time instead of getting stressed out over such issues that you have no control over.

PPPPP

Word Count 661

Top

Dominican Republic Holidays The Cocolo Festival

As the entire Dominican Republic celebrate the opening of the New Year on January 1st, some Dominicans hold events that give importance to one of the dying yet very prominent traditions in the land in a feast called the Cocolo Festival.

When the wave of African immigrants moved into Hispaniola during and after the Spaniards have settled in the land, they have brought many traditions with them that now compose the fibers of the Dominicans’ culture. Among the groups of ethnic immigrants was the Cocolo tribe which originated from the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles. They are largely known as the English-speaking Caribbean people who brought with them a culture that has the elements of both the European and African cultures. It is, as many people have said before, the culmination of the merging of the cultures of the African slaves and the European colonizers. Although they still have retained their political and social economic authority.

Years after they have settled in Hispaniola, the Cocolo dancing drama tradition have developed. It was, among their own educational system and religion, the most distinct expressions of their culture. It was its peak during the mid-nineteenth century. In recent times, the assimilation of the Cocolo descendants with the majority of the Dominicans have caused the disintegration of the Cocolo’s culture. Although, as is apparent in some areas in the Dominican Republic, the Cocolo dancing drama tradition is still very much alive.

In its original form, the dancing drama is performed on Christmas and on Carnavals. Nowadays, it is performed only in January in San Pedro de Macoris, a province in the Dominican Republic where the Cocolos originally settled.

The Cocolo Festival features the music, dances and songs that are patterned in the tunes of the original Cocolo music. These have African and European influences which make them very unique in the Dominican Republic, if not distinct from every other music in the world.

The music, for example, is patterned after the African pace and the dances have the steps and movements particular to the African court. Although when these are dramatized, they become an entirely different art form. They become almost exclusively European because of the themes and stories adopted. Among the most typical stories performed in the Cocolo Festival is the Mumme’s Play, thus the Festival has become associated with street dancers and performers called the ‘Mummers’. This tells of the story about St. George and his enemy. In summary, this reflects the main theme of the Cocolo dance drama the battle between good and evil.

Other dance dramas and games usually performed at the Cocolo Festival are the ‘Guloyas’ and the ‘Baile del Buey’. The ‘Guloyas’ consist of several groups of dancers who perform a variety of dances. Among the many they showcase is the ‘Dance of Stilts’ which requires dancers to dance on high stilts while wearing pompous jackets. The ‘Baile del Buey’, meanwhile, is performed by a festival character whose main features are identified with the bull.

The Cocolo Festival, although less popular than other Dominican Republic holidays, is indeed among the nation’s more important heritage. It is no wonder that UNESCO has chosen it as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Top