Food

The eating habits of the Mauritians inevitably reflect the cross-fertilised co-existence: Creole rougailles, Indian curries, Muslim bryanis, Chinese sweet-and-sour pork, French delicate dishes, English bacon and eggs..you name it, you'll get it here. Basic ingredients of the Creole cuisine are tomatoes (known as pommes d'amour), onions, ginger, garlic and chillies. Palm heart and camarons (giant prawns), venison and wild boar are favourite items of French cuisine. Fresh fish and seafood set the keynote for Chinese cooking. Local vegetables and fruits abound all year round in a colourful selection of mouthwatering delights.

Religion

With their origins rooted in three continents, it is not surprising that Mauritians celebrate a variety of religious festivals. Besides the Christian celebrations, such as Christmas and Easter, each month brings another festival.

January sees the Thaipoosam Cavadee celebrated by the Tamil people and during which can be seen processions of devotees, their bodies pierced with fine silver needles, carrying the Cavadee on their shoulders - after fasting for ten days.

In February there is the Chinese Spring Festival (Chinese New Year's Day), associated with thundering fire crackers and the traditional Chinese dragon.

The Maha Shivaratree is a very important Hindu celebration, taking place in March usually. In honour of the God Shiva, thousands of pilgrims from all over the island dressed in white and carrying Kanwars (decorated bamboo structures) on their shoulders, walk to Grand-Bassin, a lake situated in the south, to fetch holy water and to purify their bodies.

The Id-El-Fitr marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting.

October/November sees the lighting of thousands and thousands of small oil lamps or electric bulbs in the gardens of those celebrating Divali.

Other public holidays during the year are for Indepence Day 12th March, Ougadi festival, Labour Day 1st May, Ganesh Chaturti, All Saints Day and Christmas Day.

The Sega

The music for the Sega, the local speciality, is derived from the African music of the old slave days, with added Creole patois lyrics. Listening to its beat and atmosphere will even invite the most inhibited visitor to try joining the dancing floor. There are professional troupes that give performances which highlight the hotel shows. It is not to be missed.

Sega Links: 

Cassiya
Les Windblows