general conception of the after-life... tohiny 2

dadasy | 05 Oktobra, 2006 18:45

Inty indray ary ny tohin'ny lahatsoratra. Hiresaka ny momba ny famadihana indray aho eto, ary tsoriko fa izay niainako nandritra ny famadihanay mihitsy no zaraiko eto. Rehefa izany de arosoko koa ny fifandraisany @ finoany ny fiainan-ko avy.

Famadihana or exhumation

This is one of the Merina’s tribe which is practiced everywhere in Imerina enintoko (the six province of I Merina) which includes Avaradrano, Vakinisisaony, Vakinakaratra, Marovatana, Vonizongo and Ambodirano. This customs is to wrap again the corpses with new clothes or bringing some members of the family who were died far from the family tomb and buried there. It is generally performed during the cold season in Madagascar, from June to August. In a family, if it is a question of wrapping again new clothes of the corpses, it is repeated every five or seven or nine or eleven years. The odd number is considered as good and lucky number by the Malagasy. To do a "famadihana" is not an easy thing. The family prepares it months or years before because of the expenses. The Merina do many expenses to perform a "famadihana". They buy and kill cattle and pigs, many drinks, rice to feed the people during the feast. They call it "vary be menaka", rice full or plenty of oil. It lasts two or three days and it is not only the family who rejoice but the entire village. All are invited to join the family. Also, there is sometimes more than one family who perform a "famadihana" in a village. They ask traditional musicians to warm the feast during these three days and, nowadays, they use tape player or disk player and amplifier to dance during the night.

Generally, the process of the "famadihana" is like the following in my area, in the South West of Imerina. Members of the family inform the entire village that they are going to do a "famadihana" on a determined date. Then they inform the neighboring village and al the extended family. When the date is arrived, the place for dancing and eating is already prepared. The first day is the day of welcoming those who live far from the village. Since this moment, they already feed the people. I also remember that every time we do a "famadihana", the elders go to the tomb in the evening of the first day to "talk" to the ancestors and ask them "not to go for a walk" during the following days because their descendants will come there to give them new clothes and to ask them blessing. They second day is the day for the exhumation. Most of the time, it is performed in the afternoon. So since earlier in the morning, the feeding of the people goes on and it does not stop until the time to go to the tomb. The great moment is coming now and all the people are gathered around the tomb. This latter is already opened by all sons-in-law. They take out one after one the corpses in the tomb, call their name and ask the descendants to take their ancestor. The descendants receive them in straw mats. They bring them around the tomb and dance with them. After dancing with the ancestor – a sign of rejoicing – the daughters and the daughters-in-law have the "opportunity" to hold them and to put them on their lap. There, they wrap the corpse - which is now only bones and dusts (or sometimes a kind of mud, if the time of its burial was less than four years) – with the new clothes that they bring. During this moment, all the descendants are around the corpse, their ancestor, and they "talk" to him or her, ask blessing, renew the relationship among the descendants if there was quarrel. They stay there till the sunset and they put again the corpses in the tomb. It is always the duty of the sons-in-law who put all in order before leaving the place. When the ancestors rejoin their places, the feast continues in the village during the night. On the following day, the feeding of the people continues, and the time of the "show" for the family comes. This is the moment that the family shows to the people their unity and their wealth. They show that they are blessed and they can do something great. They invited traditional artists, called "mpihira gasy" (Malagasy singers) to give a spectacle to the entire village. They must be two groups and each group tries their best to tell a message of unity for the family and for the village in their songs and stories. It is good to mention that it is too expensive to invite traditional artists. But people do it to show that there are wealthy.

The relationship of the famadihana and the after life

This customs shows that for the Merina, those who were died are still alive in another life. That is why they can talk to them and ask them blessing. The famadihana is a way of presenting respect to the ancestors. For them, the ancestors are the elders, the source of life. It is an occasion for all members of the family to renew their relationship. If there is fight or dispute in the family, this is the occasion for them to "swear" in front of the ancestors that they are going to live in peace and in harmony to be worthy receive their blessing. They know that all that they say are heard by this "person" (the ancestor) in front of them, so they do their best to keep it. Not to obey what you have said to the ancestor is worse than not to obey a living person. The ancestors live in their own life but they have power in our earthly life. That is why the Merina ask blessing and pardon from them.

Curious enough, the Merina believe that the ancestors can ask them something, material things and they obey their requests. Sometimes, some elders say that one of the ancestor asks him a hut because their place is too sunny; some ask for clothes because they are cold; some ask for drinks because there is a long time that they did not drink; some ask for sweets or honey because their mouth is bitter… when they obey on these requests they believe that they will receive blessing from them. And if they do not obey, there will be a disaster which may happen to the family. So, if they ask a hut or honey, or sweets, they bring these things to the tomb and talk to the ancestors not to disturb them (because they have done their duty) but to give them blessing. If the ancestors said that they were cold, it is a big case. All the family should have a reunion because there should be a "famadihana" before the regular time. For example, the family is used to have "famadihana" every nine years, but it is only in the sixth, so they have to plan to do it the following year. It is not good for the ancestors to be cold for a long time like all living persons. They should be given new clothes. When they obey all the requests of the ancestors, they feel happy because they accomplish their duty as "zana-drazana" (sons and daughters of the ancestors) and they believe that the blessing will come.

Before the "famadihana", when the elders ask the ancestors "not to go for a walk", they show their belief that the ancestors have the habit to go for a walk to visit their descendants, or to see how they take care of the land that they leave for them. These acts manifest their belief in the existence of the after-life.