As Lent approaches, the traditional carnival activities are getting under way. For tourists and locals alike, it is a fun time. People travel to La Vega, Santiago, Bonao and other towns to see all the portrayals of the carnival characters made famous by tradition. In Santiago, the festivities will begin on the first Sunday of February. Regional cultural director Jochy Sanchez told reporters from Diario Libre that the popular festivities with a range of artists and bands on stage would be held on Saturdays and the Carnival parades themselves would take place on Sundays in the area around the Monument in Santiago. The carnival itself is a popular tradition, an opera buffa if you will, of popular origin with the people as the actors. Tradition tells us that there are two types of carnival: the “carnestolenda” or Shrovetide, from Spain, which is held before the start of Lent, and the Dominican carnival with Haitian influences. Certainly one of the central figures, “Robalagallina” can find its roots in the Haitian Occupation, while the “Diablos cojuelos (horned Devils) have a Castilian influence. In Bonao and Salcedo these are known as Macaraos and in Santiago they are called Lechones. La Vega preserves the traditional name of Diablo cojuelos. In Santiago the last parade will take place on 24 February.