S E C T I O N S

Mauritian Chinese orginated from a predominantly agricultural people of sturdy peasant stock whose everyday life was rhythmically conditioned by the cycle of the seasons and the changing climate. From this immutable order of things the Chinese have made their own the capital importance of ‘order’ and ‘harmony’ without which the world would be but a tale full of sound and fury.

The complete communion and harmony that should exist between man and nature is manifested in the timing of Chinese festivals which follows the moods of the changing seasons and the activities that accompany them. Chinese religious and philosophical principles have deepened the principle of restraint, moderation and propriety that should characterise the conduct of life. Traditionally the Chinese have striven to live a life in harmony with nature, in harmony with the society of man, in harmony with the social, cultural and economic environment around them.

According to Taoism, at the beginning there was oneness. And oneness produced Duality (the Ying and Yan). Duality produced the many, and the mode of all things is determined by the interaction of Ying and Yan. It is on the blending of these forces that their harmony depends.

What applies to the cosmos also applies to men; if the universe is a macrocosm, man is also a microcosm. Man aspires to embrace the vaulted Heavens, whilst his feet are firmly planted on the flat Earth. ‘So a man’s head is round and his foot square. There are four seasons, five Elements, nine divisions of space and 360 days. Man likewise has four limbs, five viscera, nine orifices and 360 joints. Heaven has wind, rain, cold and heat, and man likewise has the qualities of accepting and giving joy and anger. Therefore, the gall corresponds to clouds, the lungs to vapour, the spleen to wind, the kidneys to rain, and the liver to thunder. Thus man forms a trinity with Heaven and Earth, and his mind is the master’

‘In short, as there is beauty and rhythm in nature through the harmonious blending of the two opposite principles of Ying and Yan, there is the same beauty and rhythm in the life of man and other creatures. The way or course of Tao is eternal good: if man acted in conformity with it there would be concord and happiness; and if he ignored it and acted in violation, then there would be discord and misfortune, sooner or later

Living in harmony with nature is also a cornerstone of Confucian thought:

Both Buddha and Confucius tended to relegate theology to the background. Both avoided speculative issues and stressed the importance of ethics. To Confucius ‘the whole duty of man consisted in preserving the right relationship towards each of one’s fellow human beings. He seems entirely practical and this-worldly and enjoins no ordered ceremonials and sadifices’~, except those that form part of the piety of the nation. ‘Life to him must be vigorous and positive, carried on with balance and moderation and avoiding all extremes’5. This doctrine of the Middle Way is central to the teachings of the

Buddha, which, besides, emphasise the virtues of compassion:

Thou perfect master, who shinest upon all things and all men,

As gleaming moonlight plays upon a thousand waters at the same time,

Thy great compassion does not pass by a single creature.

Steadily and quitely sails the great ship of compassion across the sea of sorrow.

Thou art the great physician for a sick and impure world,

In pity giving invitation to the Paradise of the West.

‘Compassion Chinese—Buddhist Style’

Buddhism, however, as practised in China and brought over to Mauritius, far from emphasising its world-denying mysticism, became a strong force in the moulding of a race of men and women pragmatic and world-affirming in outlook, to weather successfully the trials and tribulations of a hostile and alien world.

There are two salient features of the traditional Chinese ‘system of belief’ that still stand out and influence the celebration of Chinese festivities in Mauritius (as well as in Singapore). These are

(i) the ‘religious piety’ of the celebrants which expresses itself in the sacrificial offerings they make to the deities of Chinese polytheism. As a scholar has explained:

‘The average Chinese layman believes in the friendly and ordered coexistence of all gods, regardless of their religious identification. The layman’s spiritual world comprises gods and spirits from Taoism, Buddhism, the worship of Heaven and its associated cult of YingYang and the five Elements, ancestor worship and numerous local cults of magic animism. In this grand pantheon, the boundary between religions hardly exists, and the gods and spirits are arranged in a hierarchy according to their magical powers’. There is one supreme Being ruling over this hierarchy ‘to whom the god-fearing devotees make annual offering as well as to members of His hierarchy to express their gratitude for the blessings they enjoy, ask forgiveness of their errors in life’s perilous journey, and pray for protection and the better things of life, year in and year out’.

(ii) the ‘family cult’ that is the most abiding practice common to all Chinese and which has remained undiminished despite the diaspora according to which it is essential to pay homage to the ancestors. This homage is ‘the acme of all religious services” uniting the living members of the family with their ancestors. In the Chinese family cult, comprising members of the past, present and future, ‘everyone has his definite place in this never-ending chain of generations

Every member will keep his place in the community even after his death. And as tradition has it, he will take part in the family reunion on New Year’s Eve.