The biggest festival is Carnival. It is held on February 26 and 27, just before Lent. February 27 is also Independence Day. People wear costumes and dance, sing, and party all night long in city streets. Poor campesinos depend almost completely on plantains.
Plantains are large, starchy bananas.
Girls in the Dominican Republic are raised to be polite, quiet, and respectable. Boys are raised to be bold and strong, and they have greater freedom. These gender roles however are changing to become more like those in Canada. The noon meal is the largest of the day. It always includes rice and beans.