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Annual Events |
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Thaipoosam Cavadee |
In a festival which is an expression of devotion to
Lord Subramaniam, the Son of Shiva, Tamil
worshippers throughout Mauritius sport
anatomy-defying piercings of all kinds, in one of
the most notable displays of organised religious
fervour in the world.
This festival is impressive: cheeks pierced with
needles, weighted hooks hanging from nipples and
tongues pierced with giant iron bars are all
variations on the theme of religious penance,
thankfulness and self-transcendence as expressed by
the participants in the medium of their bodies.
These acts are performed as gratitude for all those
whose wishes have been granted throughout the year,
as well as to show the devotion of those who make
Lord Subramaniam their personal deity. Devotees
transport containers of milk on flower-adorned
wooden yokes: a stricture is that despite the
burning sun, the transported milk must not have
curdled when it arrives at the temple!
These ascetic practices are devotional, metaphysical
and sacrificial, but also display exercises aimed at
controlling the mind and transcending physical pain.
This aspect of the celebration links into an age-old
undercurrent of Hindu religious thinking;
which endeavors to extend consciousness beyond
the body, thereby achieving exalted states of
consciousness and eventually yoga, or union with the
Godhead. |
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Chinese New Year in Mauritius |
Chinese New Year in Mauritius is an impressive
event, and intensely symbolic. It is also known as
the Spring festival on the island and involves
spring cleaning both of the inner and the outer
worlds. Arrangements begin long in advance, as
foodstuffs of all kinds are bought in and prepared,
lanterns and decorations are hung in houses and
streets. The traditional colour linked with the
Chinese New Year is red, as this is intended to
scare away evil spirits.
Families gather together to celebrate the beginning
of a new year with vows, fireworks and rich
quantities of good food. Among the traditional
dishes shared are honey-cakes (also called wax cakes
because of their waxy texture), prawns (for
liveliness), raw fish salad (for good luck), Angel
Hair or dried seaweed (for prosperity) and dumplings
(for good luck to the family).
Firecrackers and fireworks are set off to scare off
evil spirits at the entrance of the New Year and the
customary dragon dance is performed in different
parts of the island. Members of the Chinese
community often celebrate by going to the beach,
relaxing and visiting pagodas for prayers and
thanksgiving. |
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Diwali |
Diwali is one of the most significant festivals of
the Hindu year, and Hindus all over Mauritius
celebrate this event as devotedly as they do in
India. The common name of the festival is a altered
form of the Sanskrit word Deepavali - Deepa meaning
light and avali, which means row. Beautiful rows of
twinkling candles and lamps are lit all over the
island to celebrate the return of the hero of the
Ramayana, Rama, from his 14 years of exile. The
lights represent the rows of light that were lit
along the streets upon Rama's return to his home
city of Ayodhya.
In addition to celebrating the victory of good over
evil and light over darkness, the flickering lights
also symbolise the beginning of summer. Many gods
preside over this festival, but the most significant
is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and material
prosperity. The most important day of the
festivities is regarded as a particularly promising
day for merchants to consolidate their accounts for
the previous year, to go unburdened into the next.
After the morning prayers, Hindus share sweets
prepared specially for the occasion with family
members, neighbours and friends of any faith, in
accordance with the multicultural spirit of
Mauritius. |
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Thai Pongal |
Celebrating the end of the harvest season in
Mauritius, happy painted cows are served tasty rice
pudding in a festival of cleansing, purification and
thanksgiving that marks the beginning of the Tamil
year. One of the most popular Tamilian festival, it
is celebrated on January 14th every year. Falling
just after the winter solstice and a bountiful
harvest, Pongal marks the season of celebration and
joyous activities. Generally a three-day festival,
the fourth day after the festival is dedicated to
the outdoors and excursions.
In some parts of the Hindu world the festival
stretches over several days, with particular
practices associated to different days. Common
activities include cleaning the house and the
burning of rubbish, to symbolise the eviction of old
and evil spirits. Gifts are exchanged between family
and friends, and there are celebrations within the
family. Old vices and past should be abandoned
forever on this day as we get ready to start life
afresh. The festival covers all living beings
including humans, cattle and birds and crops. Even
the insects have not been overlooked and are offered
rice flour to feed on in the form of 'Kollam' on the
entranceway of the houses. Thus, Pongal is a day for
peace and happiness for all. |
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