There are 13 public holidays in the year, of
which the following are fixed:
- New Year January 1st and 2nd.
- Independence/Republic Day March 12th.
- Labour Day May 1st.
- All Saints Day November 1st.
- Christmas December 25th.
The remaining seven public holidays are religious
festivals whose dates vary from year to year.
- Thaipoosam Cavadee January/February.
- Maha shivaratree February.
- Chinese Spring Festival January/February.
- Ougadi March.
- Id-El-Fitr May/June.
- Ganesh Chaturthi September.
- Divali October/November.
Festivals
Mauritians celebrate a variety of festivals originating from three
different continents.
Maha Shivaratree (February)
is literally "The Great Night of Siva." Hindu devotees set on foot
pilgrimage from all over the island for the sacred lake at Grand
Bassin, usually carrying a `Kanwar' - light wooden arches covered
in flowers. At Grand Bassin, pilgrims collect holy water which
is ritually poured over a statuette of Siva in re-enactment of
the classical myth according to which Siva's throat had to be cooled
down after he drank the poison from the oceans to spare mankind.
The seas became poisoned during the churning of the ocean which,
according to one creation myth, gave rise to the universe.
Father Laval: On
September 9, people of all faiths gather at the shrine of Father
Jacques Desire Laval in Ste Croix, Port-Louis. Father Laval was
known both for his fight to abolish slavery, and for possessing
miraculous healing powers. His shrine is still believed to possess
healing faculties and the pilgrimage to Ste Croix is somewhat reminiscent
of Lourdes.
Spring festival: (January/February)
The Chinese New Year falls on a different day every year because
of the adjustment of lunar to solar days. The dominant colour is
red, symbolic of happiness. Food is symbolically piled up to ensure
that the year will be bountiful, and the traditional wax cake is
distributed to relatives and friends. The day is enlivened by the
firing of massive quantities of crackers to ward off evil spirits.
Divali is celebrated
in October/November and marks the homecoming of Rama after his
victory over Ravana and also commemorates Krishna's destruction
of the demon Narakasuran. Clay oil lamps are placed inside and
in front of every hindu home, turning the island into a fairyland
of flickering lights.
Holi: This Hindu
festival is as colourful as the numerous legends which inspire
it - the most popular of which is the destruction of the demon-king
Hiranyakashipu and of the evil Holika by Narasimha, the half-man
half-lion incarnation of Visnu. It is a festival of revelry when
men and women chase each other, squirting coloured water and powder
on one another.
Cavadee: Cavadee
is celebrated in January/February primarily by Hindus of Tamil
origin in honour of Kartikeya, the elder son of Siva. Cavadee is
among the most impressive hindu events: devotees with their tongues,
cheeks and body pierced with needles, hooks and skewers, dance
their way trance-like to the temple carrying the `Cavadee' - a
wooden arch covered with flowers with a pot of milk at each end
of its base. The Cavadee is placed before the deity in the temple.
At this point, despite the long, hot trek the milk should not be
curdled. For some, the penance is even more harrowing because temples
are sometimes located on mountain slopes.
Ougadi is the
Telegu New Year. It is usually celebrated in March.
Ganesh Chaturthi is
celebrated by Hindus of Marathi origin on the 4th day of the lunar
month of August/September, as the birthday of Ganesha, the younger
son of Siva, and traditionally the God of wisdom and remover of
all obstacles.
Id-El-Fitr marks
the end of Ramadhan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Prayers
are offered at mosques during the day |
