Is this week a special time in Dominican-American culture?

August 7, 2007 5:59 PM

Is this week a religious holiday, or other special time, in Dominican-American culture? (I'm not finding anything by googling, but I might not know how to look.)
posted by sparrows to religion & philosophy (11 comments total)

It's a bit premature, but August 16 is Restoration Day. Wikipedia saith:

The Dominican Republic regains its independence after 4 years of fighting against the Spanish Annexation.
posted by Tomorrowful at 6:05 PM on August 7, 2007

This site also says that August 14 is the Festival of the Bulls. Again, next week rather than this one, but it doesn't list anything else for August.
posted by Tomorrowful at 6:11 PM on August 7, 2007

Possibly! I'm thinking of something that might be celebrated over the last few days and tonight (unless maybe the celebration lasts from the 5th through the 16th...?)
posted by sparrows at 6:11 PM on August 7, 2007

The Catholic Feast of Transfiguration is going on around now. I don't know if it's a big deal, but since many Dominicans are Catholic, perhaps that is it.
posted by Bookhouse at 6:18 PM on August 7, 2007

Are you in New York? The Dominican parade is coming up. (I am not sure what it is tied to, in the sense that the Italian Parade is Columbus Day and the Irish get St. Paddy's and the Puerto Ricans get, um, early summer, but if you are and everything seems Dominican, that is probably why.)
posted by dame at 7:02 PM on August 7, 2007

Restoration War started on August 16, 1863 and, after two years of fighting, Spanish troops abandoned the island.

It is celebrating kicking some Spanish tush.
posted by dame at 7:08 PM on August 7, 2007

The Feast of Transfiguration sounds like maybe the right guess since I'm looking for something religious... I hope that's it....... (is that over soon???)

Well in case this is useful I'm asking because the small Dominican church across the street from my apt. building has exploded in some kind of celebration over the last four days. It wouldn't really be appropriate to ask them what's up (because I wouldn't be asking out of any actual curiosity, I'd just be pretending to be curious so I could try to get a clue about when it will stop).

They've been mostly quiet for the several months I've lived here. Then suddenly for the last four days there's been like five-hour marathons every night, around 4pm to 9pm, of amplified worship (so loud I still clearly hear their music and their preaching-guys with my windows closed and my sealing earplugs in my ears). I totally accept this as part of the neighborhood, I just was hoping to figure out if there's a logical point when it's likely to stop (for my own planning and sanity).
posted by sparrows at 8:19 PM on August 7, 2007

Go over and ask. They won't mind. You will learn what their schedule is, and you will learn more about your neighbors/neighborhood.
posted by jpdoane at 8:43 PM on August 7, 2007

It doesn't feel that simple to me. I think asking could very likely be heard (especially across the significant language barrier) as me objecting to it. Right now I have no genuine, positive desire to learn about their church. (So I feel like it would be inappropriate to fake a neutral neighborly interest when my true feeling is GODDAMMIT MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP.)

Right now I'm just trying to relax and see what happens. This question was just me hoping there was an obvious period of like "days x through x are holy days."
posted by sparrows at 11:35 PM on August 7, 2007

This might be something you looked for in the first place, but does the chuch have its own website? That might list a special event they're having, either a religious holiday of any kind or an even tied specifically to that church (fund raiser for a new building, xth year anniversary of some sort, etcetera).
posted by Ms. Next at 6:52 AM on August 8, 2007

Today is the feast day of St. Dominic.
posted by candyland at 8:03 AM on August 8, 2007