The different cultural backgrounds in Mauritius

Mauritius is a peaceful island where a multiracial society is free from conflict. Like the best example of heaven on earth, Mauritius has a mix of various cultures and religions. In Mauritius, people of different cultural backgrounds live in harmony. There are Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Chinese. Each religious group has its own traditions and cultures. Therefore, throughout the year, various religious ceremonies are held in Mauritius.

Mauritian Hindus celebrate the Maha Shivaratree to pay their respects to the god Shiva in Grand Bassin. On the other hand, Eid-Ul-Fitr is another religious festival celebrated by the Muslim community in Mauritius. On this occasion, they pay their respects to Allah. Also, in Mauritius many more parties are celebrated. Such festivals include Chinese New Year, Cavadee, Ganesh Chaturthi, Deepavali, and Easter among others. As such, Cavadee is celebrated by the majority of Tamils ​​in Mauritius. As with other religious festivals, devotees fast on the occasion of Cavadee. They carry well decorated objects on their shoulders during Cavadee day. The devotees, in addition to performing religious facial and body piercings, on this occasion represent the god Muruga.

Also, Chinese New Year is one of the best celebrated festivals in Mauritius. People in the Chinese community blow up a lot of firecrackers on this day. It is believed that they do this to repel all evil from their environment. A party is usually held during Chinese New Year, and sometimes a homemade gourmet called ‘Gateau la Cire’ or even money is offered to the neighbors. Apart from the Marathi community, a relatively small group of Hindus in Mauritius celebrate the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. On this occasion, the people of this religious group in Mauritius build statues of the god Ganesh which they carry into the river and submerge them. They also serve dinner to many local people after the prayer.

Also, along with all the Mauritian cultural background comes a unique gastronomic heritage. Some recipes can be described as Briani, Dhall Puri and Noodles among many others. Each recipe had been derived from its specific cultural background. For example, most Muslims cook Briani and most Hindus cook Dhall Puri. If all the recipes are represented, they become Mauritian cuisine. In fact, tourists who come to Mauritius can get a taste of the uniqueness of Mauritian cuisine and culture.

Also, a heritage of Mauritius is sugar cane. In most of Mauritius, there are fields of sugar cane. In fact, most of the land in Mauritius is covered by sugarcane plantations. Once, there were many sugar mills all over Mauritius. Time has seen many of these close their doors. Today, only a handful remain in all of Mauritius. In addition, the export of sugar continues to be part of the factor that maintains the economy of Mauritius. Other aspects that govern the economy of Mauritius are tourism, the textile industry and subcontracting.