Mauritius Culture Festival

M auritius is a unique melting pot of peoples, languages and cultures.
Co-existence among Mauritians of Indian, African, European and Chinese ancestry has led to a sharing of cultures and values, a collective participation in festivals and increased understanding between people of different backgrounds. Their festivities are celebrated in a spirit of peace and harmony throughout the year.

Cavadee

Cavadee is celebrated in January / February. Along with the fire walking and sword-climbing ceremonies, Cavadee is among the most awesome Tamil events. Their bodies pierced with needles and their tongues and cheeks with skewers, devotees trance-like and in penance, trek along bearing the "Cavadee", a wooden arch covered with flowers with a pot of milk at each end of its base, to place it before the deity in the temple. At this point, despite the long hot trek, the milk should not have curdled.

Divali

Divali is celebrated in a spirit of pure joy, in the month of October or November. Small clay lamps line the walls, balconies and yards. They are lit at sunset. Divali represents the victory of truth (light) over ignorance (darkness). Divali is a celebration of joy, happiness and for many Mauritians, a time for sharing. Divali, known worldwide as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by Hindus in India and around the globe. It is celebrated with fervour and gaiety by young and old, rich and poor, throughout the Indian diaspora, to ward off the darkness and welcome the light into their lives.

Père Laval

Every September 9, Mauritians of all faiths walk or drive towards the tomb of the Blessed Jacques Désiré Laval, the «Apostle of the Black People» at Ste-Croix, Port-Louis. The belief in Père Laval, to whom powers of healing are attributed, reminds us of the Lourdes Pilgrimage in France.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the 4th day of the lunar month of August/September by Hindus in honour of the birth of Ganesha, God of wisdom.

Holi

This Hindu festival is as colourful as the many legends from which it
originates. It is above all a festival of joy during which men and women throw coloured water and powder on each other and wish one another good luck.

Eid - Ul - Fitr

The Id-El-Fitr festival signals the end of the Ramadan - the fasting
period for Muslim people. Prayers are said in mosques all day long.

Maha Shivaratree

Is Celebrated in honour of Lord Siva (February). Following an all all night vigil, Hindu devotees, clad in white, carry the "Kan - war" - wooden arches covered with flowers - in pilgrimage to Grand Bassin, to fetch holy water from the lake. The whole scene is reminiscent of the great rituals on the banks of the Holy Ganges in India.

Ougadi

Ougadi is the Telugu New Year and is usually celebrated in March.

Spring Festival

The Chinese New Year is celebrated each year on a different date, owing
to the differences between the lunar and the solar calendars. Houses are thoroughly cleaned before the festival. No knife or scissors are used on the actual day of the festival. Red, a symbol of happiness is the main colour of the day. Food offerings are made to ensure that the following year will be plentiful and traditional ‘Wax’ cakes are distributed to parents and friends. Firecrackers are set off to drive away the evil spirits.

Sega

Whether in your hotel or on the beach, the sega, a dance invented by mauritians of african origin, has become synonymous with «joie de vivre». The sega, its music and dance form, is specific to Mauritius. The sega, mainly based on African music originating with slaves, is nowadays played with modern instruments and features contemporary musical influences.

The rubbing of feet, the swaying of hips and Creole lyrics are part and parcel of the music. The slaves obviously began dancing the sega to forget their miserable existence. There are now several types of sega in Mauritius. Standard sega (where the instruments are the ravanne, the maravanne and the triangle) has its own disciples and devotees.

Young people and hotel entertainers now favour a more modern version of sega, which is no less attractive.