Episcopal churches had services for the churching of women after childbirth from ancient times.) However, some traditions attributed to Judaism can also be explained as borrowings or retention from the Tamil and Sinhalese communities with whom many Burgher families also share ancestry and culture. For example, the purification bath after a girl’s first period is a common cultural feature of the Tamil and Sinhalese communities of Sri Lanka and neighbouring India. Hence its prevalence amongst some Burghers families of Sri Lanka is not necessarily of Jewish origins. Some commentators believe that the Burghers’ mixed backgrounds have made their culture more tolerant and open. While inter-communal strife has been a feature of modern Sri Lankan life, some Burghers have worked to maintain good relations with other ethnic groups. In 2001, the Burghers established a heritage association, the Burgher Association, with headquarters at Union Place, Colombo. See also Anglo-Indian Anglo-Burmese people Baster Cape Coloured Coloured Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon Indo people List of notable Burgher people Mestiços (Sri Lanka) References Bibliography External links The Dutch Burghers of Sri Lanka, Dutch Ceylon The Burgher Association Burgher Association of Australia Burgher Association of UK Dutch diaspora in Asia Portuguese diaspora in Asia European diaspora in Sri Lanka Multiracial affairs in Asia History of the Dutch East India Company Bourgeoisie