Halloween is a pretty spooky time of year around the whole world, but for the Dominican Republic it is an extra special spooky time.  As a country already seeped in myth, with voodoo influences abounding, it is no wonder the Dominican’s themselves are a superstitious race! Here are some superstitions and beliefs carried out on a day to day basis, so to keep safe and curse free, read up on what the local witches (Brujas - in Spanish) practice! This way you’ll have a heads up in Superstition and Witch Etiquette when you come on vacation!!

Some Fun Hocus Pocus Hispaniola Style

Superstitious Beliefs on Marriage

• Never let a female open up an umbrella in the house, or she will never get married.
• You should never get married on a Tuesday or Friday or in the month of November as this will bode bad luck.
• If you hold or join in with a set of hands already in a handshake, someone will be getting married soon in the room.
• Young girls should never walk under ladders, or they will never marry!
• You cannot sweep a broom over a single persons feet or that person will stay single for ever!

Pregnancy and Kids (Some of these are a hoot!!)

• If you are pregnant and hold a girl, then if your own baby kicks inside you, you are expecting a girl, and the same rules apply for a boy! – Try this one out!!
• To get rid of morning sickness, simply pass over the top of your husband (preferably when he is lying down in bed) and he will get it all!
• Pregnant women should not go into the ocean.
• New born babies are given beaded bracelets to wear, to ward off evil spirits. Or, a small bag worn around the neck of little children and filled with garlic will keep away any pending evil!
• Tie a piece of black fabric around the right wrist of a new born baby; this will attract all negative energy, thus not allowing any negativity to penetrate your baby.
• Buy an “Asabache” which is a black hand or fist, usually a red or black bean that is tied onto the black fabric to ward off the evil eye.
• Never remove the “Asabache” until someone tells you it is absolute nonsense!
• Always say God Bless You to a new born child, this will bring good luck and prosperity to the new born. If you don’t then the child may attract the evil eye!
• Never let your toddler see their reflection in a mirror as they won’t talk! (I love this one as my toddler is 3 yrs old and speaks both English and Spanish!)
• When a toddler bends over and looks between his or her legs, then they are said to be looking for a new baby brother or sister!!
• The ‘true’ name of your baby should be kept a secret, because if their real name is discovered then a witch or evil spirit could sell your baby to the devil. This is why many Dominican parents give their child a nickname which bears no resemblance what so ever to their child’s real name. Therefore the witch or spirit cannot even begin to guess what the true child’s identity is!! (I have to say this is quite true as most Dominicans go by a nickname that has no resemblance to themselves or their family name!)
• If your baby has hiccups then simply pull a hair from the mothers head and place it on the baby’s head! Instant Cure!
• A woman after giving birth cannot wash her hair for 41 days after the event.
• A woman who is menstruating is forbidden by farmers to enter a freshly seeded field as this will damage the crop.
• Always handy to know a menstruating woman as if your child is getting sick, then you simply pull out one of her head hairs and tie it round your child’s wrist for 24 hours, and then he or she will not get ill!

The Classic Death and Fateful Causes of Death According to Dominican Republic Superstitions

Never have 2 lights on at the same time in a room or this will certainly cause instant death for sure!
Upon opening a bottle of rum, you should always pour a little onto the ground, this is for the dead!
If a person visits a cemetery while they are ill, then they will surely die of that disease!
You should never sleep with your feet pointing to the street, as this is the way dead people are put to rest and it will bring you immense bad luck or sometimes death!
If a dog barks without any reason, then he or she is looking at a ghost!
Always cross yourself when passing a graveyard, from the start to the end, for protection and respect for those sleeping in there.
If you see a funeral procession passing by, then you must close all your windows and cross yourself, or you could be possessed by the dead person!
Talking of windows, then if a funeral procession is going by with your sleeping baby inside your house, close up the windows and wake up the baby and throw a bucket of cold water down the stairs just for good measure!

What ever you are doing during Hallows Eve, make sure you keep it fun, safe and happy! Here is a quick recipe for our version of Pumpkin Soup, in the Dominican Republic we call it Sopa de Ayama and it has a real Caribbean flavor to it – try it at home for a Dominican slant on a delicious soup!

Pumpkin Coconut Bisque from the Dominican Republic

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 Cup of chopped onion
3 Garlic cloves finely chopped up
3 Cups of Pumpkin or Ayama (you can use cans of pumpkin)Remove seeds and skin and chop into chunks
2 Cups of chicken broth
2 Tablespoons of sugar
Half a Teaspoon of allspice
Half a Teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 and a Half cups of unsweetened canned Coconut Milk

Method

Melt the butter in a large heavy cooking pot over a medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic and simply sauté until golden brown (usually 6-8 mins). Add the pumpkin, chicken broth, allspice and crushed red pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Now reduce heat and cover the pan and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. When the pumpkin/ayama is soft take off heat.
Working in batches puree the mixture in a blender until smooth.  Put the smooth blended soup back into your pot and thin the mixture out with the coconut milk until the desired consistency/thickness is attained. Simple season with alittle salt and pepper and serve!

Real Spell Hispaniola Style

And if you are in the mood for some spells then gather these ingredients together for continuing good health as told by a Good Dominican Republic Witch:

Fold the following in a velvet cloth:

Leaves of tea
Flowers of lavender
Ginger
Salt
Clove
Camphor

Tie it all up with a scarlet thread, then keep the parcel beside your bed at nighttime. 

Breathe it when you wake up every day and soon you shall be healed and stay that way.