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Most Dominicans take pride in their personal appearance and consider it important to dress well. They tend to draw on international fashions, wearing the latest trends. Clothes are often dressy, and a special event, such as a town meeting, generally requires dressing up. Clothing is nearly always clean and well pressed. People often prefer bright colors and shiny fabrics. Jeans and short skirts are acceptable attire for women. Men often have conservative haircuts and are usually clean-shaven, although beards have become increasingly popular. Men wear long pants and stylish shirts, except when doing manual labor or at the beach. Professional men wear business suits or the traditional chacabana, a white shirt worn over dark trousers, and well-shined shoes.

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Men shake hands firmly when they greet. One offers a wrist or elbow if one's hand is dirty. Most women kiss each other once on the right cheek as a greeting.

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Most meals feature rice, which is often served with habichuelas (beans), as in the dish moro de habichuelas rojas (red beans and rice). Yuca (cassava) is another favorite and may be may be boiled, battered, deep-fried, or baked into rounds of crisp cracker bread called casabe. Bananas are plentiful, as are plátanos (plantains), which are served fried as tostones and mashed as mangú. Mangoes, papaya, pineapples, guavas, avocados, and other tropical fruits (passion fruit, coconuts, and star fruit) are grown locally and eaten in season.

People commonly eat chicken, beef, pork, or goat. Bacalao (dried fish, usually cod) is eaten in some areas; fresh fish is eaten all along the coast. The national dish is sancocho, a rich vegetable-and-meat stew served on special occasions. A meal of rice, beans, and meat is nicknamed la bandera, referring to the colors of the national flag. Food is generally not spicy.

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Reluctantly, he accepts it. Arianne greets him with a drink and neither of them can bear to discuss the matter further.

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Nominally, 95 percent of Dominicans are Catholic, but a much smaller number regularly attends church or strictly follows doctrine. Especially in rural areas, Catholic traditions are sometimes combined with local practices and beliefs. Although Dominicans are fairly secular, Catholic traditions are evident in daily life and affect life events, such as weddings and funerals. Catholic priests often attend public events and special occasions to perform a blessing. Many houses contain artwork portraying the Virgin Mary and other saints, thought to protect the home's occupants. Some children are taught to “ask blessings” of their parents and other relatives upon seeing them.

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He's very pleased with her for doing so. It seems to ease the guilt about his own infidelities.

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People tend to be animated in conversation. They usually point with puckered lips instead of a finger. Wrinkling one's nose indicates one does not understand, rubbing one's fingers and thumb together signifies money, and an upright wagging forefinger means "no." To express disapproval, one points (with lips) at the object or person and rolls the eyes. Tapping one's elbow with a closed fist means that someone is cheap. "Come here" is indicated with the palm down and fingers together waving inward. One says "pssst" to get another's attention. To hail a taxi or bus, one wags a finger or fingers (depending on the number of passengers needing a ride) in the direction one is going. Numbers are often expressed with fingers instead of words. Personal space is limited; touching is normal and crowding is common.

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New Year's celebrations are important to most Dominicans often spent with family members, eating a large meal and offering prayers of gratitude for the previous year. Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia celebrates the patron saint of the Dominican Republic as they make promises of devotion to the saint in hopes of blessings of health and good employment. Mes de la Patria (Nation's Month) is a month-long window in January and February in which most of the country's patriotic holidays fall. The month is celebrated by flying the national flag, attending government celebrations and parades, placing wreaths at national monuments, and holding patriotic events in schools. El Carnaval (Carnival) is a colorful festival that runs through February and into March. The day the festival begins varies depending upon the city or town. During Lent, which is observed from Ash Wednesday to Easter, Catholics may abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays.On Restoration of Independence Day, Dominicans celebrate the restoration of their independence following a short period under Spanish rule less than a decade after gaining independence from Haiti. Before Christmas, families decorate their homes with Christmas trees, nativity scenes, and depictions of Santa Claus. Dominicans living outside the country often return to be with their families for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, families have a special dinner.

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The official language is Spanish, but unique phrases, accents, and regional expressions give Dominican Spanish a distinct personality.

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Most young people are very social and enjoy going out with friends from their neighborhood, school, or college. On weekend nights, groups of youth park their cars along major roads and turn up their car stereos while socializing with friends.
Young people usually begin dating in the later years of high school or the early years of college. People often initially date in groups. Some couples might have a sibling tag along as chaperone on one-on-one dates. Common dating activities include going to movies, concerts, parties, night clubs, dances, baseball games, and parks. Dating is increasingly free of parental control, though parents supervise daughters more closely than sons. When a couple decides to date regularly and exclusively, the man visits the home of the young woman's parents to be formally introduced to her family.Engagement is initiated by the man and generally lasts from six months to a year. In urban areas, people usually marry in their mid-twenties or later, and some parents may discourage their children from marrying before finishing college. Rural marriages tend to occur at a younger age, often in the late teens.

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Baseball is the most popular sport, and many Dominicans have become famous major league players in the United States and Canada. Playing dominoes is a national pastime. Outdoor tables in front of homes, bars, and rural colmados (neighborhood markets) are surrounded by men who play for hours, especially on Sundays. Outdoor players are almost exclusively men, but everyone—including young children—plays dominoes at home.