DR beliefs

[audboogie]

just wanted to talk about some things i noticed while in the DR...when i was down there from 12/04=2/05 i had my infant daughter with me. she was 4-6mo old. and it was typical DR weather, hot during day especially in the sun, cool at night. well during that HOT daytime i noticed that other dominican infants had socks on their feet in the 90 degree weather....i personally did not put socks on my daughter during the day...at night, si... when ever a neighbor/friend would come over they would ALWAYS ask me or my husband "donde esta su media?".....and ever time im like "for what?? its 100 freakin degrees out side!~!" so i ask my husband what is the belief and he tells me that if a babys feet get cold they can get reaaally sick...is this what yall have heard too? is there more to this story?

haha ok..the second thing that happened......it would be approaching night time, still pretty warm however sun is going down or down, and i didn't religiously put a hat on my daughter....and EVERY time a neighbor/friend/family member came over they it never failed..."donde esta la gorra de la nina?"...so i ask my husband what this means...hes explaination is that if a baby gets "dew" on his/her head he/she can get really sick and/or die....anyone else heard this? is there any more to the story?

just curious...no big deal that the people said this, but it did get a little annoying and sometimes i purposely didn't put socks or a hat on her just so i could predict who was going to ask where they were....guess i got bored down there...!!

any other dr beliefs anyone knows about off hand?

[Ken]

There are many. I doubt there is anyone that believes them all, but each has its adherents. Here are just a few

1. Some mothers believe rain is safer than drizzle. Kids can play in rain but must come indoors when it drizzles.

2. If demons, witches and others with supenatural powers find out your name, they can cast spells against you. For this reason, it is the practice to give children an apodo (nickname) when young, and this is the name they are known by and use in daily life.

3. It is important to protect against the cold, especially if your body is warm from sun or from the blankets on the bed, or from ironing, etc., because then cold air can cause crippling spasms. To protect yourself, you should:

a. Not enter an air conditioned room or building until your body has cooled naturally.

b. When opening a door or window in the cool of the night, stand so that the wall blocks the inrush of cold air.

c. When getting into bed, position slippers or shoes so that you can put them on when you get out of bed. Don't walk on cold floor with warm feet. (Or socks, audboogie, like you should have been putting on your baby's feet.)

d. Showering when body hot can cause spasms if water is cold.

e. Be careful when opening refrigerator or freezer because cold air that rushes out is even more dangerous than going into an air conditioned room.

4. Regardless of temperature of your body, using refigerator is dangerous after having a tooth pulled because cold air can rush into the hole. If you use an ice pack to reduce swelling, let others take it out of the refrig or freezer.

[Mirador]

There are many. I doubt there is anyone that believes them all, but each has its adherents. Here are just a few

So many atavistic beliefs still held in the DR. Up to the Nineteenth Century it was widely held that disease was caused by 'bad air'. (the term 'malaria' is derived from the latin 'mal aire'), and then there's the influence of traditional Chinese medicine with the concept of ying-yang, damp-dry, hot-cold....

[katty]

In all the heat I have never seen any Dominicans sweat like us in NA and they wear jeans and polochirts in 100 degree temps go figure.

[Stodgord]

Originally Posted by katty

In all the heat I have never seen any Dominicans sweat like us in NA and they wear jeans and polochirts in 100 degree temps go figure.

You haven't heard or seen anything yet...

-If you are sick with a cold.....do not eat fruits, because they are cold and will make it worse. (I hear this from my wife and mother-in-law)

-If you have a fever do not bathe or shower with room temperature water, warm it up otherwise you become more sick and die.

-This is a little disgusting....rubbing your face and chest with children's urine (pi-pi), will relieve you from cold symptons (stuffy nose and congested chest). Hey my mom and grandmother are from the hills of el Cibao, what can you expect.

-If you eat green fruit (not ripe) you will get sick and die.

-Don't eat watermelons they are poisonous.

-Don't worry about raw water...just put a couple of drop of lemon juice and the water is safe to drink.

-Don't bathe babies in the evening, it is too cold and they might die.

-If your baby has the hiccup, just take a piece of string of his clothing, wet it with saliva and put it on his/her forehead. This will cure it.

Many Dominicans don't eat fruits regularly because they think eating them too frequently will sicken them.