DRMauritius: Diwali, the festival of lights marks the victory of good over evil and is usually celebrated around October/November. Diwali is pronounced as Divali in Mauritian Creole. Traditionally, clay oil lamps are placed in front of every home turning the island into a fairyland of flickering lights. Divali is celebrated with great enthusiasm at Mauritius as this country has a huge Indian diaspora. The Divali celebrations in Mauritius are at par with those in India.
This year Divali was celebrated on November 7, which is also a public holiday in Mauritius. Divali preparations start well in advance. Mauritians of the Hindu faith thoroughly clean their homes, decorate them with lights, buy new clothes and prepare traditional Divali sweets. On the night of the festival, people light small oil lamps to welcome good fortune into their homes. Families pray to the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi. And of course, Divali is never complete without sharing delicious homemade sweets and lighting firecrackers during the night.
The Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius organised several concerts during Divali for which they invited famous Bollywood singers to perform.
Divali is a great opportunity to discover the richness and diversity of Mauritian culture. Find the must-dos for Divali in Mauritius:
• Walk or drive through the villages and towns to see the beautifully decorated and illuminated houses. The most popular village to visit on Divali is Triolet, in North Mauritius. It is well known for its elaborate decorations and fireworks. You can anticipate being stuck in traffic, it’s that popular!
• Feast on the traditional Divali sweets. Mauritians are warm and love to share their homemade sweets with tourists too. If you haven’t had a chance to befriend a Mauritian yet, don’t despair, you can buy some sweets in the stores. Make sure to ask for the gateau patate, the most popular treat, made with sweet potatoes and coconut.
• Light firecrackers! Head to your nearest supermarket or corner store and stock up on firecrackers and fireworks and spend a memorable evening lighting them with everyone else…especially at the beach. Please exercise caution when lighting firecrackers.
• Visit a temple. Many temples have special prayers on this occasion, so it’s a great cultural experience to participate in them. Please make sure to wear appropriate clothing when entering temples.
