So, this year I was in Mauritius for New Year's celebrations... Last year I was able to ring in the new year in London with my friend Sarah. Although we made it an early night and were at home when the clock chimed 12, it was interesting to be in a new place. It somehow made the new year more exciting. This year again I found myself in a new place.
My husband only had to work half-day on New Year's Eve and after running some errands, he arrived home early. We had a little snack together and he let me finish my work day. We spent the evening having dinner with his parents at their house and then returned home. By the time we got home, we were both pretty tired, so it didn't take us long to crawl into bed. Don't worry though, there's no way we could have missed the New Year...
There is a custom in Mauritius that at midnight you light fire crackers to blow away the devil and bring peace to your home in the coming year. It comes from an older superstition, but people here cling very tightly to these old superstitions. Because of this, at midnight I was awakened by the pop, pop, pop of all of our neighbors lighting their fireworks. When you live in concrete buildings with no insulation, let me tell you, it was LOUD! It sounded like a war was going on outside the bedroom. A few moments later the unmistakable smell of gun powder wafted through the house and another new year had come and gone. I nudged my husband, who was still asleep, and wished him a Happy New Year. We shared a brief kiss and a cuddle and then he was sawing logs again. :-)
The following day, after going to church and taking a little nap, my husband and I spent the day cleaning the house and organizing all of the things that had left to be organized. We wanted to leave the rest of the weekend open for relaxation and having fun. We ended the evening with a movie (Disney's "Robin Hood" in case you were wondering) and then off to bed.
Saturday when we got up and out of the house, I noticed that the little papers from the fireworks were everywhere still and that no one had cleaned them up. My husband told me that because of the superstition, if you sweep away the fireworks mess, you also sweep away the protection. He also said that many people don't sweep their houses on New Year's day for the same reason. Interesting...
Another interesting fact is that here New Year's lasts the entire week. For many businesses and laborers, they continue to celebrate and have time off work to enjoy the New Year. Hair dressers, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc all take the extra time off for celebration. Good luck getting anything done. :-)
We rounded out our holiday weekend with a picnic at the national forest and an ice cream on the beach. (which was PACKED... absolutely chocka block full)
It was a good new year and not one I will be forgetting anytime soon.
2 comments:
So...do they sweep the streets eventually? Or is Mauritius full of tiny blown up papers?
It's full of tiny blown up papers. I guess they eventually kind of blow around, but it sort of gets mixed with all the other trash and you don't notice it anymore. (That sounds grosser than it really is)
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