MADAGASCAR

 

 

 
Beliefs and Customs

 

 

 

 

 

Traditionnal dance

 

The grave of a king

 

Ravinala: Traveler's tree

 

Malagasy believe in a creator that they called "Zanahary", (the one who created), or "Andriamanitra" (the perfumed Lord). This creator is the origin of everything that exist in this world. But Malagasy give a great importance to the ancestors and the soul. That's why they respected the grave of them. The ancestors called "razana" and their soul "fanahy" are the link between the Lord and the alive, but they also have to take care of them.(the alive). Then, the alive must respect the "razana" who can blessed or punished them, because they represent the guardians of the traditions and the serenity on the earth. Malagasy believe also in another spirits and are afraid of these: ghosts "hangatra" or big creatures "biby", or spirits who lives in the water "lolo". There is also a creature that eats the heart of the children, this is called "mpakafo"…. They believe also in the power of the stars and the sky, that's why before they do something important (weeding, burial), they asked an astrologer "Dadarabe" , who consults the stars and the ancestors and tell them if the day is favourable or not. The colonization converted only 41% of the population to Christianity, the other have still indigenous beliefs, especially animism for 52% and the rest are muslins 7%. Madagascar is an Island which overflows with legends and beliefs like that, and the population live steadily in the fear and the respect of this stories. This respect give birth to the interdicts called "fady" and the customs or "fomba" Malagasy is a people who give great importance to customs. The life of a Malagasy man is structured by five big events: the birth "Fiterahana", the circumcision "Famorana", the wedding "Fanambadiana", the death "Fandevenana" and the exhumation "Famadihana". Each event is the occasion to do a big fest. The fest is always accompanied by the sacrifice of a zebu, symbol of wealth and a long oral tilting-match called "Kabary". These customs are done in the respect of the tradition and the sacred symbol: the cipher 7, the zebu, the alcohol…. There are not only these customs, but there is also the social life. The social Malagasy life is based on solidarity "Firaisan-kina" and community what they called "Fihavanana", "Havana" means family: The Malagasy are the members of one big family and many proverbs talked about this, for example "Aleo very tsikalakalam-bola toa izay very tsikalakalam-pihavanana" (It's better to lose money than to lose relation with someone) about community or "Izay mitambatra vato, izay misaraka fasika" (those who are together are like stone, those who are separate are like sand) about solidarity. These both are the important valour of Malagasy people. To deceive the community is considered as a shame and to look down the solidarity bring dishonour. Dishonour and shame are one of the biggest fears of the Malagasy.