Famadihana Dancing With the Dead
The Famadihana is a traditional festival which is celebrated in both urban and rural areas of the country especially in Madagascar; it is more popular among the tribal communities. It is a funerary tradition, known as the turning of the bones, people bring forth the bodies of their ancestors from the family crypts and rewrap them in fresh cloth, then dance with the corpses around the tomb to live music.
In Madagascar this became a regular ritual usually once every seven years, and the custom brings together extended families in celebrations of kinship. Actually it is occasion to give respect to the dead relative through the transfer of the bones to a permanent place of abode. The families of the razana contribute funds all year to celebrate the festival. The burial tomb is constructed; it is considered that it will place a link between the dead and the living. The relatives of the dead dress well, go to the tomb, to see the remains of the deceased relatives and friends, all closed persons are invited to this event.People and relatives sing traditional songs and dance. The main motive behind the festival originated from the belief of the local people that the dead return to God and are reborn.
