Offerings and feeding the unseen
Famadihana, the turning of the bones
Malagasy ceremony in which family tombs are opened, the dead are rewrapped in fresh shrouds, and the family dances with them.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
Famadihana, often translated as the turning of the bones, is a ceremony of the Merina and Betsileo highlands of Madagascar. Every few years a family opens its tomb, takes out the bodies of its ancestors, wraps them in new silk shrouds, and carries them in a procession with music and dancing before returning them to the tomb.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Silk shroudsObjectNew wrappings for the bodies.
- Family tombSpaceThe place the ancestors are kept.
- Music and brass bandToolAccompanies the procession.
- FeastOfferingShared by the family and guests.
- Spoken blessingsWordAsked of the ancestors.
- Object
- Space
- Tool
- Offering
- Word
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather The family chooses a day, often after consulting an astrologer. Step 2: Circle The tomb is opened and the bodies are brought out. Step 3: Gather The dead are wrapped in new shrouds and their names are spoken. Step 4: Circle The family dances with the bodies in procession around the tomb. Step 5: Offer A feast follows for the family and guests. Step 6: Close The bodies are returned and the tomb is shut.
Why it is done
Families hold that the dead are not fully gone until the flesh has decayed, and that they remain part of the family. The rite is a chance to speak to them, to ask for blessing and to bring relatives together. Costs are high and families often save for years.
Debates
Missionaries tried to stop it and some churches still discourage it. In recent years the cost, and concern about disease, have led some families to hold fewer ceremonies.
Visiting
Tourists are sometimes invited. The family decides who attends, and the dead are treated with respect.
What it is for
- Honouring ancestors
- Seeking blessing
- Family unity
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Ancestor veneration (The wider belief.), Merina people (The community.).
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Famadihana: Saveoursmile (Hery Zo Rakotondramanana), CC BY-SA 2.0, source