This year Diwali will be celebrated on Wednesday 11 November, which is also a public holiday in Mauritius. However, Diwali preparations start well before the day of the festival. Mauritians, mainly of hindu faith start by doing a thorough clean of their house. They then decorate their homes with strings of lights, similar to Christmas lights. They buy new clothes to wear for this special occasion and start preparing the traditional Diwali sweets.