Social Life in Haiti

WARNING: Safety is a concern in Haiti, please read this travel warning before going!

Behavior

The Haitians are conservative in most aspects of their lives and this is best seen in their behaviors, dress, and dining etiquette. They tend to dress and act conservatively, much of which is based on the doctrines of their Catholic faith. However, there is also great variety in the way the Haitians behave as the country is quite diverse ethnically and geographically.

As a visitor to Haiti try to follow the lead of the locals by dressing conservatively (see below for details), dining in the local etiquette (see our Haiti Dining & Food Page), and avoid sensitive conversation topics, such as politics, finances, and business unless initiated by your local counterpart. Also try to avoid being loud, rude, showing off wealth, or getting noticeably drunk in public.

Dress

The traditional dress in Haiti for women is a dress called a karabela dress. This dress tends to be a long, loose-fitting dress with short sleeves and a ruffled blouse. This dress can come in numerous colors and styles, but tends to be in red and white or a similar color pattern.

Today the karabela dress and other traditional clothing is only worn on special occasions for festival and performances. Today nearly everyone in Haiti wears modern western-styled clothing and, due to the country's many beaches and hot weather, they can be fairly liberal in their dress as shorts and short-sleeved shirts are common. However, as a visitor to Haiti try to dress for the occasion as in religious, political, and business settings the dress is more conservative and formal as pants and long-sleeved shirts are common. However, due to the warm weather an many beaches, the dress is more often than not on the casual side.

This page was last updated: December, 2013