31 December
Owru Yari: New Year’s Eve in Paramaribo, in daylight
Owru Yari is New Year’s Eve in Suriname and is celebrated during the day: from around midday, enormous pagaras, strings of firecrackers sometimes tens of thousands long, are set off in central Paramaribo.
Unlike in Europe, New Year’s Eve in Suriname is a daytime event. Businesses hang pagaras, ribbons of firecrackers that can run tens of metres, and light them in the middle of the day to blow the old year out.
The centre fills up, there is music, and by four in the afternoon the street is carpeted in red paper. In the evening everyone goes home, and midnight is relatively quiet.
If you are in Paramaribo at the end of December: this is the best street party of the year and it costs nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How does Suriname celebrate New Year?
Owru Yari is celebrated in daylight. From around midday, pagaras are set off in central Paramaribo: long strings of firecrackers, sometimes tens of thousands long. The evening is quiet by comparison; the party is in the afternoon.
What is a pagara?
A pagara is a long ribbon of firecrackers strung together and lit in one go. Businesses in Paramaribo hang them on New Year’s Eve to close out the year; the largest run tens of metres and last minutes.