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Suriname's ethnic mix is reflected in the religious allegiances of its people. The world’s major religions - Christianity, Hinduism Islam and Judaism - as well as several nature religions are widely practiced.
All ethnic groups have preserved the most unique aspects of their respective cultures and religions while living in harmony.
The most important Christian denominations are Roman Catholic and Moravian Brethren, but many Christian groups also practice traditional African beliefs such as obeah and winti.
About 80% of the East Indian population is Hindu. Although Dutch is the official language, the vernacular Sranan (also known as Surinaams) - an English-based Creole language - is widely spoken.
Hindi, Javanese, Chinese and Saramaccan and various Amerindian languages are also spoken. Gamelan offers an insight into the cultural life of the Indonesian community. Sculpture and carvings express the values of the Amerindian and Maroon populations.
Suriname’s cuisine is an exotic mixture of Indian, Javanese, Creole, Chinese and western cooking with local elements added. All of these have their specialties and specific flavors.
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