#XrisStories 25 - One Question, a Few Lights

What does the Life in the UK Test have to do with our move to Mauritius?

Rest assured: nobody asked us to recite the names of the kings of England on arrival. 😄

In that British test, I was asked in which period of the year a festival takes place. A calendar question. Since we moved to Mauritius as a family, after sixteen years in London, it takes on another dimension.

Behind the date, there is a story: Rama's return after fourteen years of exile, and the lamps lit to light his way home. Light against darkness, knowledge against ignorance.

What I like most is this gesture: making light to welcome someone.

When you arrive in a new country, you think about boxes, paperwork, school. Rarely about the person who will take five minutes to explain a custom, give you a landmark or make you feel at home.

Yet it is these gestures that make the difference. And not only when you change country. You can feel new, or a little lost, two streets from home.

You do not need to share the same beliefs to light someone's way a little.

The answer? Diwali, celebrated this Sunday in Mauritius.

An answer to know for a test. A beautiful idea to keep for the rest of the time.

Happy celebrations to those who celebrate. 🪔