Madagascar / Famadihana: dealing with death can be joyful

It was the second day of my first visit ever to Madagascar, when I was taken to the outskirts of one of the villages in the highlands to witness a traditional Malagasy ritual: Famadihana. Simply put, it is a celebration of death. Peculiar or macabre as it may sound, after a few minutes your are completely immersed in a graceful event, where people reunite with their living family members around their deceased family members, as part of a happy celebration of commemoration.

This child found his death in a traffic accident. His corpse was retrieved from the family grave, for contemplation.

A main part of the ceremony is the replacement of the old shrouds with fresh silk cover. The names of the deceased are then written on the remains for commemoration.

Others find moments to reflect before the joyful part of the ceremony starts.

The event attracts all members of the family, from all ages. The event is also an opportunity for family members who live apart to reunite, and often take this opportunity to settle disputes.

Then, family members carry the corpses and dance with them on the way back to the crypt.

These surprising yet inspiring moments provide us with a charming interpretation of death, relationships and commemoration. It is a wonderful example of how joy, music and dancing, is fundamental in Malagasy culture.

Some see a phallic symbol in the act of entering into the crypt, where the crowd symbolizes the male, and the crypt itself is the female, yet another lively interpretation to the event.

The grave is then sealed again until the next ceremony, in five to ten years.

Looking into the crypt I could not avoid spotting some similarities to Jewish ancient graves.

As in the highlands, Jewish ancient graves are also consisted of one or more chambers, where the family members’ corpses are placed on shelves or niches. In both traditions, after some years, bones are collected and placed in a designated hole, to make space for other deceased family members. Unfortunately Jewish tradition does not associate any joyful aspects to the commemoration of the deceased…

For me attending Famadihana was a fascinating glimpse into one of the world’s unique traditions, and a charming welcome to Madagascar and Malagasy culture. This uplifting approach is only one of several aspects I took with me from Madagascar.