The Chinese New Year officially starts on the 12th of February. Here is how this day is celebrated by Sino-Mauritians.
Mauritius has an important community of citizens of Chinese origins, approximately 3% of the population. And Sino-Mauritians are very much attached to the Chinese traditions, and especially the celebration of the Chinese New Year which is the biggest celebration of this community on the island. The Chinese New Year depends on the lunar calendar instead of the Gregorian Calendar.
How is the Chinese New Year celebrated in Mauritius?
Chinese New Year in Mauritius is synonymous with family reunion, food and, for the youngest, partying. The celebrations often begin the day before with an oppulent family dinner. For this occasion, a variety of dishes is displayed on the dining table, particularly meat - pork, beef and the famous this New Year's Eve, we find a variety of dishes and particularly, meat - pork, beef or the famous Pekin duck.
While traditionally families would be invited to celebrate at the residence of the oldest members of the family, and this often being the parents, more and more are now opting to meet in restaurants for New Years Eve dinner. In addition, restaurants organize special dinners across the island so that members of the Sino-Mauritian community can meet. After dinner, the youngest often go to nightclubs.
It is customary for Sino-Mauritians to distribute “gato lasir” (Editor's note: wax cake - a rice-based candy) to celebrate the New Year. In addition, on the first day of the year, families often visit their local Pagoda to honor their ancestors.
In the lead-up to the Chinese New Year, don't be surprised if you come face to face with a dragon in the various malls on the island. Indeed, regardless of beliefs, it is customary to have a Dragon dance and sound firecrackers all over the island to chase away evil spirits.
Where does the tradition of the Dragon dance come from?
The Dragon dance is a special event that you must experience at least once in Mauritius. Disguised as a Dragon, the dancers walk around the place to scare off evil spirits, and in particular that of Nian. According to the legend, the half lion, half bull beast sneaked into villages at night to devour inhabitants. But, the locals managed to get rid of the animal because it was afraid of light, noise and the color red. Thus, the dragon dance, where the dragon is often dressed in red, is practiced at the resounding sound of drums to scare Nian away.
Chinese astrology
Like the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese calendar comes with Chinese astrology, which is a bit different. Indeed, your Chinese horoscope corresponds to the year and not to the day of your birth. Twelve signs make up this horoscope. This year is the Year of the Ox. You are of the sign of the buffalo if you were born in 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949 etc.
