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Diwali is celebrated with great
enthusiasm at Mauritius as this country have great Indian crowd. The Diwali
celebrations at Mauritius is as good as in India. The festival of lights-
Diwali is celebrated in October/November. Diwali marks the victory of
Rama over Ravana and also commemorates Krishna's destruction of the
demon Narakasuran. Earthen oil lamps are placed in front of every
home turning the island into a fairyland of flickering lights.
Mauritius is a beautiful landmass full of picturesque landscapes and
enchanting spots. Mauritius accounts a 63% of Indian majority of which 80%
follow Hinduism. Hence, celebration of almost all the Hindu festivals in
this island is a common phenomenon. In Mauritius, Diwali celebration is an
age-old tradition. Beautiful rows of twinkling candles and lamps of all
sorts are lit all over the island to celebrate the return of the hero of the
Ramayana, Rama, from his 14 years of exile.
Besides celebrating the victory of good over evil and light over darkness,
the little flickering lights also symbolize the beginning of summer. The
main day of the festivities is seen as a particularly auspicious day for
merchants to make up their accounts and balances 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, neighbors and
friends of any faith, in accordance with the multicultural spirit of
Mauritius.
