Culture

Cosmopolitan, is the one word that goes a long way to sum up the essence of Mauritius to tourists and outsiders. Their peaceful environment and cultural harmony is reflected in their acceptance of the Catholic Church, mosque and temple, all in close proximity to each other. It is not surprising to chance upon a Chinese pagoda or find different sects of a particular community sit together and act harmoniously to further strengthen their roots apart from preserving and upholding cultural interests. So much so, that Mauritius also has a cemetery in Bambous that has two sections, one for Muslims and the other for Jews. This portrayal of cultural interests is an outcome of Mauritius history. The existence of a variety of religious groups, communities and practices is because of the changes in rulers. At first Dutch settlers, who are ill reputed to have eaten an excessive amount of dodos, a now extinct bird, inhabited the island. Then the French took over at the beginning of the eighteenth century. They settled in large numbers and bought along with them slaves who were made to work on the islands sugar plantations. The slaves were of African origin, mostly from Senegal, Guinea, Mozambique and Madagascar. It is assumed, that around this time the Mauritian Creole evolved. It was a popular language as it allowed the slaves and the French to interact. The British were soon interested in the island because it was placed strategically on their sea route to India. A stop over at Mauritius helped put a lot of things in place. They finally took ownership of the island in 1810 but did allow the French colonists to live on. Between the 1830s and 1840s, the slaves were freed from bondage as a result of abolition of slavery. Since there was a shortage of laborers, the British brought contract laborers from India, and this trend grew and grew further, till the Indians became a majority on the island. Towards the beginning of the twentieth century, Chinese settlers came to the island. In 1960, Mauritius was liberated from British rule. They announced their independence and opted for constitutional rule. This helped further the cause of cultural needs and helped maintain ethnic identities along with being unified as a nation. Foreign rulers, immigrants, overseas traders and cross breeding have, in some way influenced their culture.

A. Music

Present day music in Mauritius is believed to have been an effort made by African slaves who used drumbeats and pounding rhythms to drown their sorrows and adapt to their new surroundings. This form was referred to as Sega. The locals used instruments known as bobre, ravane, maravane and the triangle. They are local instruments and are rarely found elsewhere. Earlier the bobre was used extensively to create a mournful twang, but is not so popular now. A long wooden bow is arched and placed over a large, bumpy skinned, hollow fruit with the help of a vegetal string. This is hit with a heavy wooden bar. The ravane is an instrument made of animal skin that is stretched over a circular frame made of wood. It is tightly secured to make it highly vibrant and effective and may at times be bordered with bells. It helps create a steady beat for Sega themes. The maravane is a calebasse (hollow gourd like fruit) that is full of little stones or dried nuts. Stones or dried nuts are still used to create music beats but are now placed in a wooden frame. The traditional instruments are no longer used widely. Instead, the islanders are opting for newer orchestra instruments. The Coco or Maracas is a percussion instrument and the Triangle, as the name suggests is a triangular shaped metal rod that creates a unique sound when tapped with an iron rod. They have also traded the traditional guitar, a single string instrument with Hawaiian and electric guitars. The jingle of spoons, rattling of seeds in tins and clapping hands is all part of musical beats. Sega can be described as a ritual music from the African continent that has been wholly adapted by Mauritius. Termed as folk music, it truly represents the carefree attitude of the islanders.

B. Language

Bhojpuri is an Indian language that is often thought to be Hindi, another language from India. Though similar, they are different and bhojpuri can be traced to the state of Bihar and cities around it. It is popular in the urban and rural areas.

English is widely used in all walks of life, which makes communication on this distant island an easy task. It is used as a major language in secondary school, courts, and on road signs. It is recognized as the official language.

French is commonly used and the locals are well versed in the language. This is because of the French settlers, their colonies and influence. Certain dialects can be classified as Mauritian French or the Le Français de l'Ile Maurice.

Morisyen, is a French based language and is believed to be the second language of a large group of Mauritians. Though it is not substituted for English or French, it is equally popular, even more as a trade or business specific language.

Tamil, an Indian language is used amongst locals as well as for election campaigns, rallies, politics' and government meets.

Urdu is a Pakistani language. Though complex, its wide usage goes a long way to show how popular it is in the islands.

C. Religious Practices

When in Mauritius, it is best to participate in all-religious gatherings, processions and practices that occur during ones stay. This is because their religious practices have originated from other countries. They celebrate rituals and functions that are major events in other distant countries. The Mauritia constitution calls for freedom of religion and respects all practices related to it. The Government acts at all times to protect this freedom and is intolerant to its abuse. Religious practices are popular because of their ability to reach out to the people and not because they are carried out by a certain religious group. Mauritius does not have a state religion. Religious practices conducted by the Roman Catholic Church, Church of England, Presbyterian Church, Seventh-day Adventists, Hindus and Muslims are common. These religious leaders are provided with government funds for religious reasons and are entitled to tax-exempt privileges. Foreign missionary groups, with valid documentation are also permitted to preach their belief and doctrine.

D. Major Events

14 January (yearly)

Thai Pongal / Sankranti or Mahasankranti

This festival is of Indian origin and is celebrated to mark the end of the Mauritian harvest season. In Hinduism, cows are considered to be a holy animal and on this day they are painted in Mauritius and fed mouthwatering rice pudding. The festival is meant to cleanse and purify apart from being a day of thanksgiving.

29 January (different dates)

Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is an extravagant episode as well as symbolic. The Mauritians also call it the Spring festival.

Febuary (yearly)

Thaipoosam Cavadee

This festival has also come from India and is a major event for the Tamils in the island. At this time, devotees pray to Lord Subramaniam, the Son of Shiva. A large number of believers transcend into a trancelike form and endure multiple painful piercing and enter into long and frenzied movements. Fire walking and sword climbing are undertaken apart from body piercing, and putting skewers through their tongues and cheeks. The ‘Cavadee' is a wooden arch, decorated with flowers with a pot of milk, placed at each end of its base. The cavadee is then placed in front of the temple diety.

Febuary (yearly)

Maha Shivaratri

Hindu devotees assemble in a lake to bathe Lord Shiva idols. This is looked on as a re-enactment of a popular Hindu myth.

September (yearly)

Pere Laval's Day

On this day, devotees gather at the shrine of Pere Laval. He was a holy missionary and is known as the Saint of Mauritius who campaigned for the abolition of slavery in Mauritius.

E. Ettiquette / Do's and Don'ts

- Do drive on the left hand side of the street.

- Do not run around for a visa if you are from EEC or USA. The government does not require a visa for tourists from these countries.

- Do visit a hospital in case of sudden illness instead of flying back home. The public hospitals are of high standards and offer free services. However, the private hospitals do not take in patients free of cost.

- Do drink boiled or bottled water.

- Do not forget to carry mosquito repellent and sun block.

- Do not allow pickpockets to get the better of you in the city of Port Louis, where they operate on a large scale.