Duarte Day in Dominican Republic

All Dominicans and those interested in the culture and history of the region should know and celebrate Juan Pablo Duarte Day, January 26th of each year, as this is one of the main holidays in the Dominican Republic.

Duarte is a very relevant personality in the events of the island and is considered by many the father of the Dominican Homeland along with Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Matías Ramón Mella.

The celebration is held on January 26 because it coincides with his date of birth, January 26, 1813. Born to a Spanish father and a Dominican mother, Duarte, thanks to his independence ideals, allowed on February 27, 1844, a free and independent Republic from all foreign domination.

Duarte, together with other Dominican patriots, formed the secret society La Trinitaria, whose essential purpose was to achieve liberation from the Haitian regime that kept the people of Santo Domingo enslaved.

Juan Pablo Duarte died on July 15, 1876, in Caracas, Venezuela. His remains were transferred to Dominican soil in 1884, by the government of Ulises Heureaux (Lilís), who had declared him Father of the Homeland along with those of Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Matias Ramón Mella.