Fifteen public holidays that tell a country’s story

There are many ways to tell the story of Mauritius. One of the most accurate fits on a single page: the list of public holidays that the government sets each year. In 2026 there are fifteen. Read in order, they say where Mauritians come from, what they have been through and what they celebrate together.

The year opens with two New Year holidays, on 1 and 2 January. On 1 February the country marks the abolition of slavery, and in 2026 Thaipoosam Cavadee falls on the same day. Then come Maha Shivaratree on 15 February, the Chinese Spring Festival on 17 February, Independence and Republic Day on 12 March, Ugaadi on 19 March and Eid ul-Fitr on 21 March. Labour Day falls on 1 May, the Assumption on 15 August, Ganesh Chaturthi on 16 September. November brings together the Arrival of Indentured Labourers, on the 2nd, and Divali, on the 8th. Christmas closes the year.

Only one of these dates carries a reservation. For Eid ul-Fitr, the list states that the exact day is subject to confirmation, as the celebration depends on the visibility of the moon. The other lunar festivals, Thaipoosam, Maha Shivaratree, the Spring Festival, Ugaadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Divali, change date every year, but their day is fixed in advance.

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What the religious festivals say

Counting is enough to understand. Five festivals are Hindu: Thaipoosam Cavadee, Maha Shivaratree, Ugaadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Divali. Two are Christian in 2026: the Assumption and Christmas. One is Muslim, Eid ul-Fitr, and one is Chinese, the Spring Festival. This distribution broadly follows that of the country: at the 2022 census, 47.9 per cent of residents identified with Hinduism, 32.3 per cent with Christianity and 18.2 per cent with Islam.

The diversity shows even in the detail. Ugaadi, the new year of the lunisolar calendar, falls in March or April: the house is cleaned the day before, the temple visited on the day itself, and people taste the flavours of the festival, neem, mango and tamarind. Ganesh Chaturthi, which falls in August or September, honours Ganesh, the elephant-headed god: processions carry his clay statues to rivers and beaches to immerse them. Other festivals, finally, are celebrated without being public holidays: Holi, the festival of colours, around the full moon of March, brings together songs, dances and coloured powders.

The six other days tell the country’s history. The 1st of February recalls the abolition of slavery, in 1835; in 2026, the national ceremony for the 191st anniversary was held at the foot of Le Morne, before the International Slave Route Monument. The 2nd of November recalls the arrival of the indentured labourers, most of whom came from India after abolition; in 2025, the commemoration of the 191st anniversary brought together the President and the Prime Minister at the Aapravasi Ghat.

The 12th of March brings two anniversaries together in a single day: independence, gained on 12 March 1968, and the Republic, proclaimed on 12 March 1992. That leaves Labour Day and the two New Year holidays, which Mauritius shares with much of the world.

These two memories, of slavery and of indenture, frame the year. One opens February, the other opens November. Everything else fits between them, and that is perhaps the truest way to read the Mauritian calendar: as the story of a people shaped in large part by slavery and by indenture, and who have made their festivals everyone’s festivals.

In 2026, the law on public holidays changed. Since 13 August 2026, when the amendment came into force, a holiday that falls on a Sunday can bring a public holiday on the Monday. The first application came straight away: as Divali fell on Sunday 8 November 2026, Monday 9 November was declared a public holiday by a communiqué of 2 October.

The 2027 list, of which the Cabinet took note on 28 August 2026, already applies the rule. Ganesh Chaturthi falls on Sunday 5 September, and Monday 6 September is a public holiday in its turn. The same list does not include the Assumption but includes All Saints’ Day, on 1 November, and spells Ougadi rather than Ugaadi.

The lunar festivals change date every year, and they cluster: in 2026, February and March alone accounted for six public holidays. A stay at that time has every chance of coinciding with one. Anyone who wants to see a particular festival should consult the year’s list, published by the government several months in advance, and keep a day in hand for Eid ul-Fitr.