NB: Please, if you are freaked out by stories related to the dead, do not bother to read beyond this line. Thank you. For the supercurious, hold Iyaniwura's hands and let's take a peep into one of Africa's most mysterious cultural caves! Don't be scared joor!

Africa is an exotic place. If you don't believe, then you have not heard of the Famadihana. The Famadihana is one of the funeral traditions of the Merina people of Madagascar (no be Naija joor...lol). Also called the Turning of the Bones, it involves the digging up of graves and the exhuming of the bodies of long-dead relatives every five or seven years (see eye-popping pictures below). 

After the removal, the corpses are re-dressed in fresh clothes, then there is celebration lasting for hours. They dance with the corpses, or with the bones (watch the incredible videos HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6GeaexFQ8sI

There is live music throughout. Some of the corpses are sprayed with expensive perfumes or sparkling wines. 

There is also plenty of eating and drinking. It pretty much reminds me of the Day of the Dead celebrations (Dia de Los Muertos) in Mexico but that one is slightly different as the party occurs overnight in the cemetery but there is no digging (are you freaked out already??)

 Hear one Malagasy man: “It is good to thank the ancestors in person because we owe them everything. We do not come from mud; we come from these bodies.”

 The exact origins of the Famadihana tradition of Madagascar is not clear but it is said to be based on the belief that the spirits of the departed ancestors can only join the world of the dead after seven years when the decomposition must have been complete. 

The elaborate celebrations are also part of ensuring that their ancestors are admitted properly into the world of the dead. Effectively, the Famadihana is a reburial ceremony and the word itself means 'turning of the corpse' in Malagasy language. Lambamena is the name of the burial shroud. When collecting the dead at night, family elders use a single candle to locate and identify the dead relatives. The bodies are properly wrapped and scented before being placed back in the burial crypts. Reclothed corpses are placed out for sunbathing before they are reburied.

The Famadihana is also an avenue for all relatives in different parts of the globe to come together, have family meetings and enjoy themselves by dancing with the dead. Yeah, that's the way it's done in Madagascar. The Roman Catholic Church has not opposed the tradition because it is classified as a strictly cultural matter. Well, I think Nigerians too do a similar thing (Yiyi Eyin Oku Pada among the Yorubas) but there is no exhuming of dead bodies to the best of my knowledge . 

The ritual is quite expensive, new clothes must be bought, food and drinks must be provided, musicians are hired and new tombs may be built. Some go as far as borrowing thousands of dollars for the ceremony and end up being broke after. Lobatan! (Does that sound familiar? LOL!)

However, not all Malagasy people believe this is proper. Some believe it is a waste of time and money. 

But the tradition is decreasing as the price of the costly silk shrouds used in the burial is climbing and many are finding it difficult to finance it. But, for those with the cash, the tradition continues, and millions still follow the tradition. One Malagasy man says of the tradition:

It's important because it's our way of respecting the dead. It is also a chance for the whole family, from across the country, to come together.
Another says: “I am asking them for good health, and of course if they would help me to accumulate wealth, this is good also.”

It is a joyous atmosphere and crying is discouraged. 

The belief is that he who does not bury his ancestor in a new shroud is not just doomed but foolish and may suffer greatly for it. So, in order to honour their dead and not face the wrath of the gods, the Famadihana continues.

It must however be noted that this practice of celebrating, honouring or even venerating the dead is not limited to Madagascar alone. In Brazil and Spain, there are public holidays and special days (2nd November in Brazil) during which people gather at cemeteries to pray for their loved ones. Same goes for Haiti, Bolivia, Guatemala and Ecuador, special dishes are even prepared. (I can imagine Nigerians gathering at Atan Cemetery, omo igboro ma daru lojo yen!) In America, these festivals are predominantly seen in places with considerable Hispanic communities, like the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In different nations of Europe, people regularly visit graves, pray for the departed and place very lovely flowers (some Nigerians have not even bothered to take a second look at where their parents or loved ones were buried, some of these graves have been taken over by weeds, snakes, orishirishi reptiles or even criminals. We do not really take good care of graves and cemeteries in Nigeria (few exceptions of course), and this is so bad that some evil-minded elements in the society exhume corpses for whatever purposes. If you are guilty of this (neglecting the resting places of your loved ones), do something, ehn!)

In Asia, they do it too in Korea where they tidy up the cemeteries and bring all kinds of dishes to their ancestors, the island nation of the Philippines and parts of Australasia. Trust the Chinese na, they've got it too, one of their own months is even called Ghost Month in which ghosts are believed to visit the earth (this same planet? God dey!) In Nepal of the Himalayas, cows are slaughtered and in Nigeria, we all know what we do in our individual ethnic groups. Shoo! Lmao!

Iyaniwura is guessing that what is right and wrong varies from place to place. Thanks for your time.

See more explanatory pictures and videos on the website.

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Everyday new wonders.Wonders shall never end.different people with their different traditions.na wa o.