12 March - Celebration of Mauritius independence from Britain in 1968

 

12 March is celebrated as National day or Independence day from Britain in 1968.

Mauritius is a multi-ethnic and multi-language society,it is also a plural society with its population mainly composed of four ethnic groups and four major religious groups; it is often depicted as a "rainbow nation". The island of Mauritius did not have any indigenous population; historically, it was characterized by successive waves of European colonization and multiple immigrations.Under the French rule between 1715 and 1810, slaves were imported on the island from mainland Africa and Madagascar; slavery was only abolished in 1835 due to the British commitment to end slavery.Indian migrants from Pondicherry first started to arrive in Mauritius under the French rule in 1736;  The 18th century also saw one the earliest influx of Chinese migrants into Mauritius, who mostly came from Fujian.Under British rule, more Indian migrants came to Mauritius following the emancipation of the slaves in 1835.From the 1800s, Chinese migrants (mainly Cantonese, Fujianese, and Hakka) from Southern China (mainly from Fujian and Guangdong) arrived in Mauritius, first as indentured labourers and later as free merchants.Since 1860, Hakka immigration started and continued until they became the dominant group of Chinese in Mauritius at the beginning of the 20th century. The co-existence of Mauritians of Indian, African (known as Mauritian Creoles), European (mostly French), and Chinese ancestry eventually led to a sharing of values and cultures, a collective participation in festivals, and an increased understanding between people of different ethnic backgrounds.Mauritians from different cultural backgrounds are very distinct from each other, and it is also highly unpopular to encourage the dissolution of cultural boundaries in Mauritius.Presently, the Mauritian society continues to be culturally and linguistically French-dominated