East Indians Customs and Festivals

The East Indians who arrived on the 30th May 1845, brought to Trinidad a wide range of festivals and religious observances. For East Indians - both Hindus and Muslims - these celebrations were important. Events such as Divali, Eid-ul-Fitr, Phagwa and Hoosay (later discussed in this blog) have, over the years, become part of the cultural fabric of Trinidad and Tobago and are being celebrated nationwide. 

   One ancient practice which has recently become a western phenomenon is the Mehndi (or Henna) which is the ancient art of body tattooing. This is placed on the feet and hands (as seen above & below) of females for occasions such as weddings, engagements etc. 

    The indentured labourers brought not only their religion, food and clothing, but also the names of the places from which they came. They gave to the places they settled in Trinidad, the place names with which they were familiar. Hence the reason for village names such as Fyzabad, Barrackpore, Chandernagore, and many others.

Below is a sample list of Hindu and Muslim names and their meanings.

Hindu Names Girls	Hindu Names Boys	Muslim Names Girls	Muslim Names Boys
Aruna - Dawn Chandra- Moon Indira-Lakshmi Indrani - Wife of Indra Lalita- Variety, Beauty Madhuri- Sweet Girl Mohini-Most beautiful, Bewitching Prema - Love Shanti - Peace	Avinash - Endless, Boundless Hemaraj - King of Gold Manoj - Born of Mind Mohan-Charming, Fascinating Prakash - Light Rajesh - God of Kings Saurav - Divine, Celestial Sundar- Beautiful Vijay - Victory	Alia, Aalia - Exalted Aneesa - Friendly Fareeda - Unique Fatima - Name of the Prophet Muhammad's Daughter Kaamla - Perfect Nadia - The Beginning, First Nadira - Rare, Precious Rasheeda - Wise, Mature Saleema - Safe, Healthy Yasmeen - Jasmine Zahraa - White	Ali - Excellent Hamza - Lion Hassan - Beautiful Jamal - Beauty Kareem - Generous, Noble Khalid - Eternal