Religions

Four religions live in harmony in Reunion Island : Christianity, the tamil Religion, Islam and Buddhism.
The first two are the most widespread.

Ste Anne Church	Tamil Chapel	Mosque	Chinese Temple

The tamil people are called Malbar. They come from the Coromandel Coast and Madras in India.
Most of them are catholic as well, since they were converted to this religion at their arrival in the island. Being a practising tamil as well as a practising catholic do not bother them at all. The tamil religion is polytheistic. They can find their tamil Gods unified in the uniq christian God.
The tamil religion is the most spectacular for the visitor. The walk on embers, the penitents pricked with pins for the Cavadee ceremony...

The muslims come from India as well, even if they are called Zarabe. They emigrated from Bombay and Gujarat at the end of the previous century.
They are about 7,000.

Buddhism has obviously been brought in by the Chinese. In some families, Buddhism is not so strong, but the worship of ancestors is quite common.
Many Chinese are converted to Catholicism.

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