The Dominican Republic celebrates with joy the announcement by the Ministry of Culture designating the legendary comedian Cuquín Victoria and the artist and cultural manager Marily Gallardo as King and Queen of the 2022 National Carnival Parade, which will be held on Sunday, March 6, on the Santo Domingo boardwalk. .
The coronation ceremony will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 23, at the T3 Cultural Center of Sabana Perdida and will be headed by Minister Milagros Germán.
With this recognition, the Ministry of Culture pays tribute to the artistic career of Cuquín Victoria, who celebrated 50 years last year playing characters full of grace, mischief and good humor, showing on television, theater and the big screen the idiosyncrasy of Dominican people.
Characters such as “Chochueca”, “Vicente, el imprudente” and his imitation of Dr. Joaquín Balaguer, among others, are part of Cuquín’s humorous repertoire, with which he has won the applause of generations who have enjoyed his peculiar stagings around to everyday situations.
Similarly, the institution pays tribute to the choreographer, performer and dance teacher Marily Gallardo, who, from the research, creation and interpretation of various folk traditions, especially in the area of dance and carnival pedagogy, has contributed that Afro-Antillean roots be preserved and spread within and outside of Dominican territory.
Referring to this distinction made by the Ministry of Culture, Cuquín Victoria expressed that he feels very honored to have been chosen King of the Carnival, which will allow him to share with the public in an atmosphere full of joy.
The popular humorist defines the Dominican carnival as a traditional event that symbolizes and identifies the folklore of the country’s regions. “I hope that on the day of the parade, the people, as they always have, receive me with great joy,” he said.
Marily Gallardo, for her part, indicated that having been chosen as Queen of the Parade fills her with great satisfaction, since the Dominican carnival is a beautiful example of Dominican joy, the ability to play and the creative power of the communities.
Gallardo stated that “symbolically, carnival has a very suggestive power. All this construction of symbols that it has is seductive, but its most important feature is the game and that is what I work with: carnival games”.
The manager and artist said she is a defender that the carnival continues to be a game between characters and communities, where there are also moral lessons and the whole family is integrated.
“Carnival must be valued and supported, in the sense of injecting the new generations with training so that carnival always has the possibility of increasing its creative potential,” Gallardo pointed out.
Origin of the king and queen of the carnival
The king and queen of carnival are symbolic figures that have always existed in this celebration, which dates back to the Middle Ages and that the European conquerors brought to the American continent.
This character has its origin in ancient Rome, where King Momo was worshiped, who was, according to legend, that god of ridicule and madness who, with jokes, wit, exaggerated and grotesque mime and use of satire He amused his audience.
The coronation of the king and queen constitutes the beginning of the carnival festivities, and Momo’s name was changed in Santo Domingo to Rey Califé in 1983, as a way of impregnating the event with a greater Dominican identity, since it exhibits part of our roots.