Suriname Reiseführer

• • Suriname is strikingly multicultural; Hindustani, Javanese, Maroon, Creole, Indigenous, Chinese, and European communities coexist, and respecting all religious and ethnic traditions is central to local etiquette.
• • Greetings are warm and unhurried; a handshake is standard, and taking time for small talk before business is appreciated. Dutch is the official language but Sranan Tongo is the common lingua franca on the street.
• • When visiting someone's home, removing your shoes is customary in many Hindustani and Javanese households; wait to be invited in and accept offered food or drink as a sign of respect.
• • Sharing food is a major part of social life; Surinamese cuisine blends Indian roti, Indonesian nasi and bami, Creole stews, and Chinese dishes, and refusing food outright can be seen as impolite.
• • Photography of people, especially in Maroon and Indigenous villages in the interior, should always be preceded by asking permission; some communities have spiritual restrictions on images.
• • Punctuality is fairly relaxed in social settings, and a friendly, easygoing demeanor ('switi Sranan' - sweet Suriname) is valued over rushing.

Dress is casual and lightweight due to the hot, humid tropical climate, but Surinamese tend to dress neatly in towns. Modest clothing covering shoulders and knees is appropriate when visiting mosques, temples, churches, and rural villages. Beachwear should be kept to resorts and riverside areas.

Suriname is religiously diverse, home to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Javanese Islam and Kejawen, and Indigenous and Maroon spiritual traditions, often side by side (a mosque and synagogue famously stand next to each other in Paramaribo). Remove shoes and dress modestly before entering mosques and Hindu temples; cover the head where requested. Be respectful and quiet during prayers and ceremonies, ask before photographing inside places of worship, and avoid stepping on or pointing your feet toward religious objects.