Culture of the Dominican Republic Festival. During four days each December, independent films, shorts, and documentaries are screened. "Notes": Culture of the Dominican Republic The culture of the Dominican Republic is a diverse mixture of different influences from around the world. The Dominican people and their customs have origins consisting predominately in a European cultural basis, with both African and native Taíno influences. The Dominican Republic was the site of the first European settlement in the Western Hemisphere, namely Santo Domingo founded in 1493. As a result of over five centuries of Spanish presence in the island, the core of Dominican culture is derived from
Episcopal Conference of the Dominican Republic Episcopal Conference of the Dominican Republic The Conference of the Dominican Episcopate (Spanish: "Conferencia del Episcopado Dominicano", CED) is the body of the Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic. In 1954 arose the first Episcopal National Commission of the Dominican Republic, which is now officially called with the current name since September 22, 1962, when the Holy See approved its statutes. The first plenary meeting of the CED met in 1963, and the episcopal commissions were created in 1966. The main bodies that make up are: the Plenary Assembly, the Permanent Council, its Secretary General, 16 committee and a national