Dominican Christmas Eve dinner costs almost half of monthly minimum wage

SANTO DOMINGO.- The Christmas season is a time to share, celebrate and enjoy with family and friends, and as a tradition, they meet to share Christmas Eve dinner.

This delicacy implies a cost, depending on the socio-economic level of the people, when it comes to lower-middle-class families, the cost of dinner can vary between 4000 to 7000 pesos (US $75-$132).

If we buy the products in the New Market, dinner for six people could go down to 4,000 pesos. Such a dinner has two pounds of Moorish, two roasted chickens, a leg of ten pounds, six units of apple, one pound of Grapes, telera bread, two pounds of Russian salad, 2 pounds of pasta, mixed nuts, a wine, and seasonings.

The clients

Each year the prices vary depending on where the ingredients used to make dinner are bought, but the number of people in the family and the diversity of dishes that will be put on the table also go hand in hand.

Teresa Quirós, a 47-year-old woman who was in the market doing her shopping for Christmas Eve dinner, said that “what one is going to enjoy shouldn’t require taking accounts.”

However, Mireya Tusen, a 71-year-old lady who was buying products to make dinner for prisoners, indicated that the prices were very high and that in her house, where there are only three people, they spend between three thousand and four thousand pesos, unable to complete the menu of dishes they would like.

María Ivelise, a mother of nine children, says that this year the dinner will come out in just over 7,000 pesos and noted that “the government card gave them nothing for Christmas Eve expenses.”

The sellers

For their part, sellers claim that prices have remained stable, but that the flow of people, considering the date, has decreased significantly concerning previous years.

Yacauri Pichardo, a young 24-year-old merchant, said that “sales were languid but, which usually increased after the 20th of the month.”

Despite the proximity of Christmas Eve, the New Market was quiet, and the only area that was crowded is where the wholesale sales are made.

Meanwhile, supermarkets are crowded with people who, from the early hours of the day, buy presents to begin Christmas preparations.

To all these expenses, we must add the clothing for these holidays, since, as if it were a custom, everyone likes to wear new clothes these holidays.

– The families

At the tables of Dominican families, some dishes can not be missed during Christmas Eve dinner, making these a custom that spares no social class.