Where: Madagascar People: Merina and Betsileo Religion: Christianity (mainly Protestantism and Catholicism) Ritual: Famadihana (re-burial)
According to Malagasy belief, man is not made of earth but of the ancestral bodies. And according to faith, the ancestors have not left the world of the living before their bodies are completely decomposed. Until then, it is possible to communicate with the dead, who are treated with great respect and love at the Famadihana ritual. During the ritual, the families thank their ancestors and tell them how it goes in the world of the living. The ancestors are also asked for good health or a good harvest.
Furthermore, in Madagascar it is believed that the gods are very far away, and the only way to communicate with them is through the ancestors.
The ritual is held every seventh year among the Merina and Betsileo people in the highlands of Madagascar. The family graves are opened and the dead are carried out in the open where they are honoured and wrapped in new silk. After that, the families dance around the grave with their ancestors before they are buried again.
The continuation of the ritual is in danger due to various factors such as the growing poverty, escalating cost of silk, plague outbreaks and opposition from Protestant Church that reject the ritual. In contrast, the Catholic Church perceives the ritual as a cultural tradition and is more accepting of it.
The origin of the Famadihana ritual is believed to be from Southeast Asia and was probably brought to Madagascar through migration by sea. Similar rituals are practiced in Sulawesi, Borneo and the Philippines, but in these regions people do not involve dancing with the dead as in Madagascar.
Thank you to all the ancestors and the families to invite me to participate in thus amazing Famadihana. And thank you very much to my guide, fixer and translator Andry for his huge effort.
Before the Famadihana ceremony, the family members meet and when all are present, they proceed to the burial place of their ancestors.A family member who passed away in a different location, will be re-interred in the family grave during the Famadihana ceremony.Inside the grave, the ancestors are wrapped in silk.A family member passed away between two Famadihanas and was temporarily interred in a coffin. During the Famadihana, he is honoured before being wrapped in silk and re-interred.It is believed that touching the dead brings luck. Therefore, all family members help carry the ancestors while dancing.A family is discussing who is who before they re-wrap the ancestors in fresh silk.The master of the ceremony presiding over the Famadihana.It is not customary to show emotions during the Famadihanas, but sometimes holding back tears is not an option.A family with a deceased family member who was exhumed from another part of Madagascar. The ancestor will be interred in the family grave at the end of the Famadihana ceremony.Before the ancestors are re-interred in the grave, people celebrate and dance with them.Even in death, there is a hierarchy with regards to the color of the silk. The darker the color, the more honourable (and older) the ancestor is considered to be.Upon completing the dance with the ancestors, they are returned to the grave.A family grave in the highlands of Madagascar.
