The Ministry of Culture Crowns Eddy Herrera and Miriam Cruz as King and Queen of the National Carnival Parade 2015

The Ministry of Culture Crowns Eddy Herrera and Miriam Cruz as King and Queen of the National Carnival Parade 2015
Santo Domingo, February 6th, 2015

This Wednesday, the Ministry of Culture crowned singers Miriam Cruz and Eddy Herrera as the Queen and King of the National Carnival Parade 2015, which will be held on the first Sunday of March.

The coronation took place amid a cheerful atmosphere and a show full of emotions and joys and surprises and novelties. With great enthusiasm, Minister José Antonio Rodríguez presided over the event.

The ceremony was held in the Enriquillo Sánchez Auditorium from where it was broadcasted live on Channel 4 of the State Radio and Television Corporation (CERTV).

The coronation of Huguito Chávez Baldera and Tía Nancy as the King and Queen of the Children Carnival took place first. The event started with the presentation of Los Roba La Gallina from Baní. During the same ceremony, the Felipe Abreu Award was presented to Simeón Reyes and Rochi Pérez, in recognition to their careers and contributions to the traditional Carnival parade.

Special honorary mentions were presented to Elizabeth Liven Reyes and Luchas Hernández, Carnival characters from the National District, the region to which the parade is dedicated this year. The honorees are selected every year in recognition of their valuable contributions to the country’s culture and Carnival events, thus contributing to the continuity of this Dominican tradition.

160 floats and troupes will participate in the grand Carnival parade 2015. It is scheduled to begin at 2 pm and it will take a predetermined route, from Malecón Center up to the so-called Obelisco Macho. Among the innovations this year is the participation of large delegations from Curaçao, Taiwan, The Island of Guadalupe, and Venezuela and Brazil.

In his brief speech during the event, the Minister of Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, expressed confidence that this parade will be the most attractive and successful Carnival of those that have been held to date.

Then he said that with the Carnival comes joy, and explained that the children’s Carnival takes place first so that they “show us how to smile and be happy.”

Ramón Lachapelle, Director of Cultural and Carnival Management, also spoke at the ceremony and stated: “There is a force greater than the muscles of men and animals, larger than water vapor, greater than the energy that produces electricity, and even greater than nuclear power, and that force is called willpower, and this people seek happiness through the Carnival with that power that is called willpower.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Ediltrudis Pichardo, said that the selection of the king and the queen of the parade was made unanimously, and urged people to attend the parade because it will be a party for the people.

As she was crowned the Queen of the Carnival, singer Miriam Cruz said that every perfect gift comes from God, and that this selection came to her because it was His plan. She said that she will enjoy the Carnival party and thanked the Ministry of Culture, through its main representative, José Antonio Rodríguez, for being selected.

While Eddy Herrera was being crowned, he said that he had no words to express his gratitude at being selected, which happened unanimously, similar to Miriam Cruz’s, and he added that this is the most wonderful moment of his life.

Herrera invited all the people to enjoy the Carnival festivities, while noting that this is one of the five best Carnivals in the world.

During the closing of the event, the attendees enjoyed to the presentation by the Yucahú tribe of Puerto Plata, and gave it a round of applause.

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