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01 · Identity card

Understanding Reunionese society

Before you set foot on the island, here are the essential landmarks to grasp its reality, beyond the postcard.

LanguagesFrench + CreoleFrench is the official language. Creole is the language of the heart.
- Born from a mix of French, Malagasy, African, Tamil and Chinese
- French for administration and school
- Creole at home, at the market, among friends
- A few words of Creole are enough to open doors
ReligionsA rare pluralityChristianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Chinese and Tamil traditions live side by side.
- In complete harmony: everyone respects each other's religion
- Tamil temples, mosques, churches and pagodas on the same streets
- Religious festivals often go beyond community boundaries
- 20 December (Fét Kaf) brings the whole island together
TerritoryCoast vs HighlandsThe coastline concentrates urban activity. The highlands remain rural and more isolated.
- Marked inequalities between the coast and the highlands
- The west coast concentrates tourism and seaside towns
- The highlands keep a more traditional way of life
- The cirques (Mafate, Cilaos, Salazie) are among the most isolated areas
- Mafate can only be reached on foot or by helicopter
TransportSaturated networkA car is almost essential, the bus is for the patient, hitchhiking for the bold.
- Congested roads, especially at rush hour on the coast
- A car is the most practical way to explore freely
- Car Jaune buses between towns
- Hitchhiking works well in the highlands and away from tourist areas
- Allow time: what looks close on the map never is
CultureLiving cultural mixA culture born from the meeting, sometimes forced, of five continents.
- Maloya is listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
- Fét Kaf (20 December): public holiday marking the abolition of slavery
- Creole cuisine is among the most mixed in the world
- Strong cultural pride, to be respected and celebrated
Social tiesFamily, the central pillarThe extended family is at the heart of everything: meals, mutual help, passing things on.
- Extended family at the heart of social life
- Strong mutual help between generations
- Sunday lunch, almost sacred
- You always leave with the leftovers!
- Plays a key role in the face of hardship
Social dynamicsMen & womenThings are changing, but traditional roles are still marked.
- Women very present in running the household
- High rate of single-parent families (often women)
- Traditional roles still very present
- Visible generational change among young people
EconomyDependence & dualityAn economy driven by services and closely tied to mainland France.
- Services: ~80% of GDP
- Public sector: ~30% of jobs
- Tourism: ~550,000 visitors in 2025, mostly from mainland France
- Sugar cane: the main historical export
- Unemployment: ~18% (vs ~7% in mainland France), up to 35% among young people

03 · The communities

Who lives on the island?

Malagasy, Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Africans… Reunion Island's history has shaped a mixed, cosmopolitan population. The Malagasy, especially women, played an essential role in the island's early settlement and mixing.

Mural « La Réunion, nout nation » showing the faces of the island's communities — Nout nationMany origins, one island.

Living together, a Reunionese pride

In Reunion Island, living together isn't a slogan: it's everyday life. All religions coexist peacefully, and it's not unusual for one family to bring together several faiths. In Saint-Denis, a cathedral, a mosque, a Tamil temple and a pagoda stand just a few streets apart.

Here, people join each other's celebrations: sharing Dipavali sweets, watching Chinese New Year, greeting friends for Eid, celebrating Christmas and 20 December together. This mutual respect, built up over history, is what makes the island strong. As a visitor, it's up to you to respect it too.

Catholicism
Tamil Hinduism
Islam
Buddhism & ancestor worship
Malagasy beliefs

What does being Creole mean?

Creole = a person born on an island. So when people talk about the Creole population, they mean everyone born on Reunion Island, whatever their origin.

CommunityKafrineThe largest part of the population, mixed and diverse.
- Originally from Madagascar and Africa (Mozambique, Guinea…)
- Often mixed with white islanders
- Mostly Catholic
CommunityMalbarOriginally from southern India, descended from the great waves of indentured labour.
- Arrived after abolition to work on the plantations
- Practise Tamil Hinduism
- Firewalking, Cavadee, Dipavali
- Very present in Saint-André and Saint-Benoît
- A strong presence in Creole culture
CommunityYabThe "petits blancs des hauts" (poor whites of the highlands). White Creoles from isolated areas.
- Descendants of white settlers who went into exile in the highlands
- A long rural and isolated way of life
- Very present in the cirques and the highlands
- Cilaos, Plaine des Cafres, Plaine des Palmistes
CommunityZoreilPeople from mainland France who have settled on the island.
- Refers to people from mainland France
- Zoréole: child of a Creole and a Zoreil
- Kréopolitain: a Creole long settled in mainland France
- A presence that has grown sharply since Covid
- A source of tension over housing and jobs
CommunityZarabeMuslim immigrants from western India who arrived in the 19th century.
- Sunni Muslims
- A strong presence in trade
- Karanes: Indians who first emigrated to Madagascar, then to Reunion Island
- Mosques all over the island
CommunityChineseArrived in the 19th century, mainly from Canton.
- Originally from the Canton region
- Generally Catholic
- Also celebrate traditional Chinese festivals with fervour
- Chinese New Year visible in all the island's main towns
- The Chinese community runs many shops across the island
CommunityComorian / MahoraisThe latest wave of immigration, mainly from Mayotte.
- Arrived over the last 30 years
- Mainly from Mayotte
- Some arrive with EVASAN (medical evacuation) refugee status
- Practise Islam
- A growing community

13 · Cultural calendar

When to come, what to celebrate

Every month, the island celebrates a festival, a tradition, a gathering. Here's the calendar of the moments when Creole culture comes out into the open, and how to join in without putting a foot wrong.

January
Pongal, Miel Vert & Chinese New Year
Pongal (or Pongol) : Tamil harvest festival, traditionally around 14 January (sometimes the 15th depending on the temple): temples bless tools and animals, and sweet rice is cooked until it overflows, for prosperity.
Miel Vert : A major agricultural fair at Plaine des Cafres (Le Tampon), usually from 7 to 18 January.
Chinese New Year : Following the lunar calendar, often late January or during February (6 February in 2027): lion dances, firecrackers, red costumes.
Local tip
Pongal: stop by a Tamil temple early in the morning (Saint-Pierre, Saint-Leu, Saint-Benoît).
Miel Vert: go and taste the local produce.
Chinese New Year: head to the Chinese quarter of a big town (Saint-Denis, Saint-Pierre, Saint-André). Dates change every year, so check them on the town hall's website.
February
Cavadee
A major Tamil festival: firewalking, penitents piercing their bodies. Spectacular and sacred. Dates vary (often late January to early February; 23 January in 2027).
Ramadan, also lunar, falls in this period in some years; in 2027 it begins at the start of the month (see March for Eid al-Fitr).
Local tip
Watch respectfully, ask before taking photos, wear covering clothes.
Saint-André (Petit-Bazar temple) and Saint-Pierre.
Check the exact dates on the town hall's website, they change every year.
March
Eid al-Fitr & Holi
Eid al-Fitr : Marks the end of Ramadan for the island's Muslim community (the Zarabes, settled since 1905 around the Noor-e-Islam mosque in Saint-Denis). Falls around 9-10 March 2027, depending on the sighting of the moon.
Holi : The Hindu festival of colours, celebrated more discreetly than in India, within the Indian community. Follows a few weeks later (22-23 March in 2027), at the full moon of the month of Phalgun.
Local tip
Eid: rue Maréchal Leclerc in Saint-Denis is decked with decorated arches, a lovely way to feel the atmosphere without intruding.
Holi: join in if you're invited, wear clothes you can throw away, and let yourself get covered in colour with a smile.
April
Tamil New Year & neighbourhood festivals
Puthandu, the Tamil New Year : Brings the Malbar community together around 14 April (a solar date, so more stable than the other festivals in this calendar; still 14 April in 2027): chariot parades, Indian dances, fireworks.
Neighbourhood festivals : Meanwhile, many town festivals and open-air fairs: the dry season is starting to settle in.
Local tip
Tamil New Year: Sainte-Suzanne, Saint-Leu, Saint-Louis and Saint-Paul each run their own programme over several days, so check the exact dates town by town.
Neighbourhood festivals: look at the posters outside the town halls, that's where it all happens.
May
Leu Tempo Festival & Eid al-Adha
Leu Tempo Festival : A free street arts festival in Saint-Leu, usually in early May. Shows, parades, circus and music all over town.
Eid al-Kabir (or Eid al-Adha) : The festival of sacrifice that closes the pilgrimage to Mecca, expected in mid-May 2027 (estimates, still quite varied, range from 16 to 27 May depending on the source: check with a mosque beforehand).
Local tip
Leu Tempo: follow the programme posted around town, shows follow one another all day in several places.
Eid al-Kabir: it's a family and religious celebration rather than a public one, with no parade to follow, but you can feel the atmosphere in the Zarabe and Comorian neighbourhoods of Saint-Denis.
June
Sakifo, Grand Boucan & Fête de la musique
Sakifo : In Saint-Pierre in early June, music from around the world and the Indian Ocean.
Grand Boucan : The island's big carnival, with a parade of floats and the burning of King Dodo, at the end of June on the Saint-Paul seafront.
Fête de la musique : On 21 June, everywhere.
Local tip
Sakifo: buy your tickets in advance.
Grand Boucan: come in fancy dress and stay for the evening fireworks.
21 June: wander around the towns, you're bound to find a free concert.
July
Cycling tour, Chouchou festival & Choca festival
Cycling tour : The Tour de La Réunion cycling race gets the whole island buzzing.
Chouchou festival : Livens up Hell-Bourg (Salazie) at the end of July.
Choca festival : Entre-Deux celebrates the choca (local aloe) the same month.
Local tip
Follow a stage of the race with locals at the roadside.
Then head up to Hell-Bourg to taste chouchou (chayote) in every shape and form.
August
Turmeric festival & Vacoa festival
Turmeric festival : At Plaine des Grègues, a family atmosphere in the highlands.
Vacoa festival : In Saint-Philippe (Cap Méchant), usually early to mid-August: weaving, food, concerts.
Local tip
Ideal for meeting producers and tasting traditional dishes.
In Saint-Philippe, don't miss the vacoa weaving workshops.
September
Maloya Festival & Fête de la Salette
Maloya Festival : Dedicated to maloya in the Basse-Terre district of Saint-Pierre, in early September. Parade, concerts (maloya, séga, fusions), community village, traditional games.
Fête de la Salette : On 19 September (a fixed date every year), the island's biggest Catholic procession: thousands of pilgrims make their way to the Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette shrine in Saint-Leu, with a novena, a great torchlight procession the evening before and an open-air mass on the Place de la Salette. The tradition dates back to the cholera epidemic of 1859, which stopped dead at the gates of the town.
Local tip
Maloya Festival: stay late, the "krasé maloya", improvised sessions around the roulèr drum, happen in the evening.
Salette: come in the late afternoon on the 18th for the torchlight procession, one of the most powerful and photogenic moments of the year, but stay discreet, it's first and foremost a moment of faith.
October
Dipavali & Florilèges du Tampon
Dipavali : The Hindu festival of lights: candles, parades, costumes, sweets (the date varies, Oct-Nov; 29 October in 2027, but the big Saint-André parade can come a few weeks later).
Florilèges du Tampon : A big flower festival, held in October during the school holidays.
Local tip
Go to Saint-André or La Possession for the Dipavali parade.
In Le Tampon, enjoy the flower parade and the Florilèges funfair.
November
Vanilla festival & Fèt Koko
Vanilla festival : In Bras-Panon (east coast), celebrating the island's green gold.
Fèt Koko : Livens up Saint-Paul (Grande Fontaine) around coconut and Reunionese culture, usually in mid-November.
Local tip
Buy your vanilla directly from the growers in Bras-Panon.
At Fèt Koko, taste the coconut-based dishes and follow the traditional contests.
December
Fét Kaf · 20 December
Abolition of slavery : The most important celebration on the island. Public holiday, maloya everywhere.
The Liberté Métisse Festival takes place in the days around 20 December in L'Étang-Salé-les-Bains, with delegations from the Vanilla Islands (Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Mayotte).
Local tip
Read up on the history of abolition beforehand.
Go to the speeches, listen to the maloya, respect the emotion of the moment.
The most authentic moment of the year.