Culture | Public Holidays | Healthcare

History
The Portuguese discovered Mauritius in 1510. The didn't set up a colony on Mauritius but used the island as a key point for supporting their boats and for their long travels till Asia.

The first colonialists to settle down in Mauritius were the Dutch, they set foot on the island in 1598. They named the island " Mauritius " after the Prince " Maurice van Nassau ". The Dutch brought sugarcane and deers from Java to Mauritius. The Dutch were also responsible for the extinction of the Dodos and nearly cut down all ebony trees that were available. After surviving many cyclones and a long drought, the Dutch decided to leave the island in the year 1710.

The French were the next ones to take over the island in 1715. The Island was renamed into " Ile de France ". Mahé de Labourdonnais, Governor of Mauritius from 1734 - 1746, set up the capital city " Port-Louis " and " St.-Denis ". He also set up the first sugar mill. The French imported slaves to work in the sugar cane fields. The slaves came from Africa and Madagascar.

In 1810, after a heavy war, the British Empire took over Mauritius. Slavery was abolished in the year 1835. After that, the Englishmen brought workers (coolies) from India to work in the sugarcane fields. In March the 12th, 1968, Mauritius gained it's Independence from Great Britain and is since then a member of the British Commonwealth. Since 1990 Mauritius is a Democratic Republic.

Culture In Mauritius
While many countries claim they are cosmopolitan, only a few really qualify. Mauritius is one of the rare authentically cosmopolitan societies. Where else could so many towns and villages boast of a Catholic church, a Muslim mosque, and a Hindu temple within walking distance from each other? And if you are lucky, you might even find a Chinese pagoda in the vicinity! One little-known cemetery at Bambous hosts a burial ground with a Muslim and a ... Jewish section!!

A little history helps explain this peculiar mix. The French took over the island from the Dutch settlers (notorious for having eaten the Dodos down to the very last!) around 1715. The French brought over slaves from Africa (particularly from Senegal, Guinea, Mozambique and Madagascar) to work in the sugar-cane plantations. The Mauritian Creole, now in quasi-universal use on the island, probably evolved during those years as some sort of lingua franca between slaves
and masters.

The British became very interested in the island in the early eighteenth century because it provided the perfect transit for ships en route to India. The British eventually won the island over from the French in 1810. British rule was essentially administrative and the French colonists were allowed to stay. Things did not change much for the unfortunate African slaves until, yielding to the pressure of abolitionists, the colonists emancipated them in the 1830s-40s. To make up for this sudden labour shortage, the British brought indentured labourers from India (mainly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat) to the island. Within a few decades, people of Indian origin were a majority in the island.

The early twentieth century also saw the arrival of Chinese settlers (Hakka and Cantonese) who sought their fortune in retail trade. Mauritius earned its independence from Britain, following political disquiet in the 1960s. Since then the country has been under a constitutional rule particularly attentive to the political representation of the minorities and to their equal access to healthcare, education and employment. If anything, the twenty-five odd years since independence have seen a consolidation of ethnic identities, never, however, at the expense of the unity of the nation.

And if you are still wondering about the Jewish cemetery at Bambous, here's the story. Jewish refugees from East Europe (Poland in particular) tried to reach Palestine in the early 1940s to escape the Nazi persecution. They travelled down the west coast of Africa, past the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean. They were taken by the British at this point, brought to Mauritius and made to stay there until the end of the war. Some of them died and were buried in Mauritius on a ground they share with Muslims.

Public Hoidays In Mauritius 2006:

Holiday Date	Holidays
Sunday 1 January	New Year
Monday 2 January	New Year
Sunday 29 January	Chinese Spring Festival
Wednesday 1 February	Abolition of Slavery
Saturday 11 February	Thaipoosam Cavadee
Sunday 12 March	National Day
Thursday 30 March	Ougadi
Monday 1 May	Labour Day
Tuesday 15 August	Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tuesday 29 August	Ganesh Chathurthi
Saturday 21 October	Divali
Tuesday 24 October	*Eid-Ul-Fitr
Thursday 2 November	Arrival of Indentured Labourers
Monday 25 December	Christmas

* The exact date of this festival is subject to confirmation as its celebration depends on the visibility of the moon.

Health

Requirement
No vaccinations are required. However a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers over 1 year of age who arrive from areas where yellow fever cases are reported.

Medical Sevices
Free public medical facilities are widely available, but these tend to be crowded. Private clinics provide medical services for a fee. Emergency assistance is available but limited.