A glimpse of Malagasy life...

In September, I was able to visit a famadihana, or turning of the bones here in Antsirabe.  Every 7 years, usually, the Malagasy people will gather with their extended families and friends and celebrate their ancestors.  The family tombs are opened up and the ancestors’ bodies are removed and then paraded around-either through the streets or just around the area where the tomb is located.  Many times people will take a part of their ancestor to help with a physical problem they are suffering.  For instance, teeth are taken and placed in a person’s mouth if they are missing teeth; a tea is made of remains of the corpse and drunk to help cure various ailments; sometimes bones are carried home for ‘good luck’ or viewed as the ancestor’s blessing.  Loud music and a lot of alcohol are enjoyed by the families during these celebrations.  

As more people are moving to the cities looking for work and younger generations are becoming ‘westernized,’ this tradition is slowly going out of style in Madagascar.  The famadihana that I was able to go to exhibited many of the above characteristics, although thankfully none of the corpse eating/mutilating.  There was a lot of dancing to live music played by a small band.  Then, a witch doctor came to preside over the opening of the tomb and then one of the elder males in the family spoke a prayer to the ancestors they were honoring that day (a total of 6, I believe).  A sad realization swept over me standing there watching, as I realized many of these people would soon be sitting in their local Lutheran, Catholic, or other church the following Sunday morning-and yet here they were praying to dead bodies to help them with their problems!  I am so thankful that Jesus has conquered the grave and that we no longer need to fear death!  

“through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” ^[1]

A song kept coming to mind as the Malagasy were singing and dancing in worship to their ancestors: click here to watch it. 

This is what God has called us to Madagascar to proclaim; 

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me

          to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

          to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

     ²     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

     ³     to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

          the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit”^[2]

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^[1]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Heb 2:14-15.

^[2]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 61:1-3.