Colors of Balaclava - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

The diversity of the national culture is one of its most striking peculiarities. The town has become home for people of different religions. Despite the fact that English is considered the national language on Mauritius, many local people are fluent in Creole and French. An inimitable combination of cultural traditions has found its reflection in the diversity of national holidays, many of which have a religious origin and, therefore, are celebrated in strict accordance with century-old traditions of predecessors.

Closer to the end of winter, local people celebrate Chinese New Year that is sometimes called the holiday of Spring. Each family serves a festive table full of delicacies. During the holiday, people visit their friends and relatives and gift various souvenirs to them. Statuettes and amulets with the symbol of the new year are the most typical gifts during this holiday. Local people believe that such talismans will bring good luck and make the next year prosperous and happy.

Fireworks have become one more interesting tradition of the Chinese New Year. According to local people, fireworks and loud explosions of petards can scare and drive out evil spirits. During the daytime, all local temples serve festive ceremonies with offerings to higher forces. As a rule, food and drinks are the most typical gifts to gods. Once the ceremony is over, everyone returns home in order to enjoy a special festive meal. Closer to the evening, streets of Balaclava turn into a large theatre stage. Performances of music bands and theatre ensembles don’t stop until late at night. There are special performances, merry competitions, and events for children. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Local people also have their own national dance – sega that is traditionally performed in beautiful national costumes. Sega has become an essential attribute of any national celebration. There are quite many Muslims among local people, so the end of the holy month of Ramadan is an important holiday there, as well as the tenth day of Muḥarram, of the Day of Remembrance. A series of religious events always take place on this special day. As a rule, local people pray on this holiday and apologize to relatives. Local people make a tower from bamboo, decorate it with colorful ribbons, and then burn.

The Holiday of Fire is a no less interesting holiday. All temples of Balaclava celebrate it every year. They light up fires, the length of which can reach up to eight meters. Everyone is welcome to try to run on live coals – this ritual is believed to be the best way to purify both body and soul. The unusual ritual always attracts many tourists.

In the end of January, local people celebrate Cavadee Festival. The traditional holiday of Mauritian Tamils has very unusual rituals associated with it. Local people make cavadees – bowls that are usually made of wood, metal, or plastic. They fill them with flowers and carry to the temple on their backs. End of February – the beginning of March is the sacred period for Mauritian Hindus who celebrate Maha Shivaratree. This colorful festival lasts three days and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Thousands of Hindus come to the Grand Bassin to sanctify themselves as they would make in the Ganges River. In the end of summer, local Hindus celebrate another important holiday – Ganesh Chaturthi. Tourists will see numerous statues of Ganesh on all main streets of Balaclava. Local people believe that it is important to place the statues in water before sunset on this holiday.

The 12th of March is the National Day of Mauritius. It marks the day when the island gained independence from the UK in 1968. Various festive events, music concerts, and celebrations are typical for this holiday. Finally, if you visit Mauritius in November, you will become a witness of another famous celebration – Divali. This Hindu festival of lights is very popular with local Creole people. Locals believe that they need to light up oil lamps, candles, or simply electric bulbs to symbolize the victory of good over bad, of light over darkness. Lights don’t disappear till early in the morning. People also cook traditional cookies and share them with friends and family members.