Mauritius Holidays - 2005

New Year's Day is observed on January 1st, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in the Roman Empire. Traditional New Year celebrations in Mauritius start on New Year's Eve, the thirty-first of December.

Thaipoosam Cavadee is celebrated more precisely by the Tamil community in Mauritius. Along with the fire-walking and sword-climbing ceremonies, Thaipoosam Cavadee is among the most spectacular Tamil events. The body pierced with needles and the tongue and cheeks with skewers, the devotee, trance-like and in penance, walks in procession to the temple bearing the "Cavadee", a wooden arch covered with flowers with a pot of milk at each end of its base which he or she places before the deity.

The Spring Festival, which is the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year's Day or the Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Sino-Mauritian community. Firecrackers are lit to ward off evil spirits. Special celebrations are held on that day in Port Louis in China town with Chinese Dragons and lion dances.

Maha Shivaratree is celebrated in honour of Hindu god Siva. Maha Shivaratri or the 'Great Night of Lord Shiva' is celebrated with great pomp, enthusiasm and devotion in Mauritius, predominantly by the Hindu population. Devotees all around the country visit the Ganga Talao on this festival to offer their prayers and bring back Jal(water) along with them.

On this day there are Parades and festivities, held in memory of the foundation of the state of Mauritius on March 12th, 1968. Mauritius Independence Day is celebrated with flag hoisting at Champ-de-Mars in Port-Louis, which is followed by speeches of the Government leaders.

“Ugadi” is the name given to the Hindu New Year by the peoples of the Deccan Plateau, which covers most of central and southern India. People traditionally celebrate the festival by waking up before the break of dawn, applying coconut oil to their bodies and taking a head bath. They then decorate the entrances to their homes with fresh mango leaves in commemoration of the gods Kartik and Ganesha, the two sons of Lord Siva and Parvathi, who were both very fond of the fruit.

On the 1st May 1950, Labour Day was celebrated for the first time as an official public holiday in the British colony of Mauritius. Labour Day was proclaimed public holiday for the first time in Mauritius in the year 1950. In 1969, Mauritius pledged to adhere to the International Labour Organisation and in 1975 the Labour Act was passed. On the day, hundreds of buses are available for the public so that they can easily get to the different rallies.

Eid al-Fitr falls on the first day of 'Shawwal', the month which follows Ramadan in the Islamic calendar. It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy. The Muslim community of the Mauritius belongs to the Indian origin. The day of the festival of Eid begins with the traditional prayer being offered in the edge or in the mosque. As the Muslim women are not allowed to go to the mosque, and hence the men and the children return to the home after offering the prayer and then the festival begins with the traditional Eid Mubarak greeting to each other and the elderly people of the family and of the neighbor give gift and money to the children and to the younger ones.

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven, informally known as The Assumption, according to the beliefs, the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

The birthday of lord Ganesha is celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi on the fourth day of the lunar month of August/September. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the public holidays in Mauritius. Hinduism being the main culture of Mauritius with 52 percent of the population, all the Hindus of the island country celebrates this festival with great fervor. All the devotees of Lord Ganesha do pujas in the temples and celebrate the festival. People from different towns and villages join in the process of the immersion of lord Ganesha's idol. They all gather along the beaches of the island country and take part in the immersion ceremony. The statue of lord Ganesha is also worshipped in many family and households and then these statues are also taken to the rivers and seas for immersion.

Diwali in Mauritius is an amazing spectacle. Well known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is one of the most important Hindu festivals of the year and is celebrated by the lighting of small clay lamps placed in house windows signifying the triumph of good over evil - light over dark. People celebrating will wear thoroughly clean their house as a welcome to Lakshmi, wear new clothes through the celebration and partake in the sharing of homemade sweets. Loud fire crackers are burst throughout the night and around the clock to drive away evil spirits!

Mauritius has a big Christian community, mostly of Catholic faith. As such, most Christian celebration like Easter and Christmas are celebrated here with some of the same tradition as in Europe. During Easter, you will find the traditional Easter chocolate eggs on sale everywhere on the island. For Christmas, the living room is decorated with a Christmas tree and gifts are offered to the children. The sight of Santa Claus who make his appearance in shopping centers everywhere and shops decorated with Christmas winter decorations, can be quite peculiar under the tropic. But it adds to a festive period celebrated by most and which continues until the end of year.