Fun and festivities in Suriname - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

Surinamese celebrate generally accepted and well-known holidays like Christmas and Easter, as well as special ones, reflecting the country's unique path. December 5 marks the birthday of the Blessed Pope, who, by analogy with St. Nicholas, is an elderly man who arrived in Suriname on a ship. In the Suriname version, after receiving independence from Holland, the saint changed his name and became black. On the night of December 6, the Blessed Pope and his servants give gifts to all children of the country. It is customary to leave cookies and milk before bedtime so that the main hero of the holiday and his servants can have a bite.

On December 25, on Christmas Eve, Surinamese bake cakes and cookies in the morning, decorate Christmas trees, attend church in the evening, and then go home to have a hearty dinner. In the morning of December 26, many celebrants visit churches again, after which give each other gifts at home and make a feast. During these two days, the doors are never locked. In cities, the New Year celebrations begin a week before its coming. Suriname people like Chinese fireworks. And on December 31, the streets of the capital are filled with people, live music sounds, and the celebration continues for at least a week in the new year.

One of the Surinamese official holidays in January is World Religion Day, falling on the third Sunday of the month. The Epiphany is celebrated on January 6. There are many Chinese in Suriname, thousands of them began to move into the country for permanent residence since the middle of the last century. Therefore, in 2014, the Government of Suriname decided to make Chinese New Year an official holiday celebrated in early February. During its celebration, colorful parades with music are arranged, and celebrants dress up in beautiful costumes. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Revolution Day falls on February 25. On this day, a coup d'état known as the “Sergeants' Coup” took place in Suriname in 1980. The holiday was officially introduced by the new government. On this day, all kinds of events are held at a monument made from the remnants of a police station burnt down during the coup. In the first month of spring, Surinamese celebrate "Holi", a festival with Indian roots that marks the triumph of good over evil. During the festivities, people wear light-colored clothing they are not afraid to spoil, because no one remains clean: this is a festival of paints where people stain each other with bright powder.

On the last Friday before Easter, Christians of Suriname celebrate Good Friday, attend churches and pray to Jesus. Easter is generally celebrated in the same way as in other countries. Families gather at festive tables, offer prayers to Jesus, visit loved ones, paint eggs as a symbol of rebirth, and light candles at sunset. Many believers attend night church services. Labor Day, also known as Workers Day, is celebrated on May 1. This holiday is aimed to remind people of the importance of simple labor and the role of workers in creating the world we all know today.

Indian Arrival Day is celebrated on June 5. This is a celebration of honoring workers from India who have arrived in Suriname. Many of them were in debt slavery and suffered a lot of hardships. “Keti Koti” also known as Liberation Day, Freedom Day, and Cut Chain Day is celebrated on the first day of July. Slavery in Suriname was completely abolished on July 1, 1863. All Surinamese celebrate Liberation Day with a merry feast. The day of the arrival of Indonesians who worked on plantations under contract falls on August 8. The first of them arrived in Suriname at the end of the 19th century.

Indigenous People's Day begins with a morning prayer and continues with a festival with marches, music, and dancing. It takes place on August 9, straight after Indonesian Arrival Day. Day of the Maroons, descendants of runaway black slaves living in the countryside, became a public holiday in 2011, even though it had been annually celebrated long ago on October 10th. And on October 20, Surinamese celebrate Chinese Arrival Day. November 25 is one of the most important holidays - Independence Day, a tribute to the proclamation of Suriname independent from the Netherlands in 1975.