Populations and languages :

Mauritius has a population of 1,140,000 inhabitants plus around 37,000 living in Rodrigues (an island dependency).

Mauritius is remarkable in its ethnic diversity. Mauritian society is woven from many multi-cultured threads: Indian, African, Chinese, and European. This has produced a pungent brew of races, languages, religions and eatinghabits.
It is not surprising that Mauritians, whose origins are from 3 continents, have many festivities, which reflect the diversity of their cultures. Besides the Christian celebrations, Hindu, Muslim and Chinese holidays are observed.

Distribution of the mauritian population :
- 51 % Hindus
- 26 % Creoles (including french)
- 21 % Muslims
- 2 % Chinese

With all the diversity of the population we also have the worship places of all communities scattered around the island

FESTIVITIES :

February. MAHA SHIVATREE : Festival in the honour of Shiva, Following a night without sleep, the Hindu devotees dress in white and carry the ''kanvar'' (arc of wood covered with flowers), in a procession towards Grand Bassin to get the holy water from the lake. The scene is reminiscent of the rituals celebrated on the banks of the Ganges river of India. (Public holiday).

September FESTIVAL OF 'BIENHEUREUX' JACQUES DÉSIRÉ LAVAL : Each year on the 9th of September, Mauritians of all ethnic groups proceed to the tomb of Father Laval in Sainte Croix, Port Louis. Jacques Désiré Laval was born in 1803 and came to Mauritius in 1841 and was beautified in Rome on the 29th April 1979. Powers for miraculous healing are attributed to him. He was called the apostle of the blacks.

(January February). SPRING FESTIVAL : The Chinese New Year is celebrated each year on a different date following the difference between the lunar calendar and the solar calendar A major cleaning of the house precedes this celebration. During that day, no scissors or knives are used. Red colour, symbol of happiness dominates all households. Food is exposed to guarantee its abundance all year round, and the traditional Chinese New Year cakes are offered to all relatives and friends. Firecrackers are lit to warn off bad spirits. The presence of the very noisy firecrackers is supposed frighten the wicked spirits. All Chinese owned shops are closed for a minimum of three days during this celebration (Public holiday).

October or November DIVALI : This is most joyful and animated of all the Hindu festivals, Divali, is celebrated in marking the victory of the god Rama over the evil king Rawan and symbolises the victory of good over evil. The liberation of Laskmi, goddess of richness is celebrated. The return of Rama the 7th reincarnation of Vishnu is also a reason for festivities. Prayers are mainly for abundance (richness, good harvest, salary raise, success for exams). In the evening, all houses, modest as well as the wealthy shine with thousands of lights. It is characterised by the decoration of the houses with a multitude of small lights and doors are kept open in order to allow the good fortune to get in. (Public holiday)

HOLI : This Hindu festival has a richness that equals the various legends which inspire it. It is mainly a festival that is about joy, during which men and women play with coloured water and coloured powder. It is time for celebrations and the exchange of good wishes. The celebration tells a story of “Holika”, who wanted to burn a prince, who finally came out unhurt from the flames. To punish Holika, her symbol is burnt. The burning flames are nowadays symbolised by the throwing of coloured water or powder (red, blue, green, violet) on faces or on the clothes.

January/February CAVADEE : The Cavadee festival is celebrated andisoneof the most impressive of Tamil festivals. The body is pierced with needles, the tongue and the cheeks are pierced by pins, the backs of many devotees are spiked with hooks, often with limes attached or tiny mugs of purification milk. The devotees, in a trance and in penitence, walk while carrying the Cavadee, ( an arc of wood, metal or plastic symbolizing the sacred mountains, and covered with flowers and at the base at each end a pot of milk). The arc is laid down in the temple at the feet of the statue of a divinity. In spite of the long walk under the hot sun, the milk should not go bad. The Thaipoosam or Cavadee is a ceremony about the purification from evil. Its origin is from the South of India and it is deep-rooted in the history of the Tamils. (Public Holiday).

August/September GANESH CHATURTHI : This festival is celebrated on the 4th day of the lunar month of by Hindus to mark the birth of the God Ganesh. (Public holiday)

ID-EL-FITR : Id-El-Fitr is celebrated to mark the end of Ramadan - The fasting period for Muslims. Prayers are made at the mosque during the whole day. The Muslims who practise the Ramadam must not permit any water or food to pass their lips from dawn to dusk. (Public Holiday)

November,ALL SAINTS DAY : The All Saints Day, is attributed to looking after the tombs of the dead. This is a Christian festival where people go to mass before going to leave flowers, and thinking of their ancestors. For the Mauritians, it is a proof that there is a certain form of life after death.