Mauritian celebrations: early year events

Mauritius is slowly winding down at the beginning of January, with businesses closed and Mauritians on holiday. After the traditional New Year’s greetings, our multicultural and diverse population honours a number of national holidays, which are worth discovering and sharing with the Mauritians.

Greetings, a tradition that is giving way to digital technology

On January 1st, Mauritians used to visit their closest family and friends to exchange wishes of happiness and health. This tradition is still relevant today within close family but the pleasure of reuniting with family members is now increasingly replaced by digital messages. However, many people still honour the traditional lunch on 1 January, when several generations gather around a good meal.

Thaipoosam Cavadee: piety and devotion

This festival of Tamil origin marks the end of ten days of fasting. On this occasion, the participants, whose bodies and tongues are pierced with needles, go on a pilgrimage to the temple for offerings and purification. Dedicated to Murugan, this celebration is quite impressive for children but exciting for all those who want to discover thousand-year-old traditions.

Chinese New Year

Kung shee fat choy! Don’t be surprised if you are greeted like this on 1 February, Chinese New Year. In Mauritius, celebrations are national and exclusive cultural appropriation does not exist. At dawn, the spinners (huge strings of firecrackers) drag the late risers out of bed. The houses and businesses of our Sino Mauritian compatriots are strewn with bits of blood-red firecrackers. After prayers to the ancestors at the pagoda, families gather to offer fung pow to the younger ones, red envelopes containing money. This is followed by a huge lunch and vibrant games of mah jong. It is not uncommon to come across a celestial dragon and a belligerent lion in the shopping centres. A must-try is the “gato lasir”, a round cake made with honey.

Maha Shivratri

The long night of Shiva is certainly one of the most beautiful pilgrimages to attend during your stay in Mauritius if you are there at the end of February. From all over the island, on the days preceding the festival (1st March), pilgrims converge on Ganga Talao, the sacred Mauritian lake located on the central plateau. Pulling splendid glittering chariots decorated with the face of Shiva or carrying more modest bows on their shoulders, tens of thousands of men, women and children dressed in white walk along the roads. They are going to do their offerings and prayers on the banks of this magnificent lake. A multitude of gods from the Hindu pantheon, an atmosphere smoked with incense, vibrating with prayers and bells, a crowd full of fervour and the unforgettable spectacle of hundreds of earthen lamps illuminating the sacred waters: Maha Shivratri is an exceptional immersion in the Mauritian culture.

Mauritians are always happy to welcome you on their national holidays. They will proudly explain the traditions inherent in the ceremonies and will let you taste the culinary specialities. Ask our concierges for information on the places and times of the festivities closest to your hotel residence so that you can fully experience each of these celebrations.