Ghoon

The Ghoon festival is currently only observed by a tiny percentage of Mauritian Muslims, although it was formerly a time of tremendous grandeur and pleasure. The festival is observed during the first ten days of Muharram, the Islamic calendar's first month, to remember the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the son of Ali, and Fatima, the Prophet Muhammad's daughter (PBUH). In the year 680 A.D., he was slain in Kerbala, Iraq.

Muslims of the Shiite sect see Kerbala as a hallowed site and observe mourning in a unique fashion during the first ten days of Muharram: they gather to recite elegies, beat their chests, weep, and mimic the anguish of the Kerbala martyrs. Small groups of people gather on the bank of the Rivière des Lataniers, a tiny stream just outside Port-Louis and close to Plaine Verte as soon as the narrow crescent of the moon is visible. This location represents Kerbala. They execute traditional rites and give Fatiha's (prayers) here. They then proceed to their own Dargahs (shrines). The Lever des Ghounes, a magnificent parade, takes place on the tenth night (the hoisting of the Ghoons). The next day, the Casser des Ghounes (the breaking of the Ghoons) is celebrated, in which the parties return to the Vallée des Prêtres side of the Rivière des Lataniers.

Date: September