Madagascar's "Deception Festival"
People around the world have their own ways of remembering their lost loved ones. In contrast, the methods adopted by Malagasy people are the most alternative and even frightening. This African island country has a traditional "corpse festival". On the day of the festival, local people removed the bodies of their ancestors from the tombs, replaced them with new shrouds, and then carried the bodies to sing and dance with the accompaniment of music.
Seeing the bodies of their loved ones, Malagasy people may also feel sad. However, crying is prohibited during the Festival of the Corpus because crying will make the deceased unhappy. On the day of Foul Corpus, locals walked into the dark tomb with candles, carefully removed the bodies of their ancestors, then opened the shroud, washed the bones with water and replaced them with a new shroud, and finally carried the body to participate in the celebration.
There is a label on the shroud identifying the deceased. In the eyes of people who are accustomed to using memorial services to commemorate their deceased loved ones, Madagascar's Fouculi Festival seems very strange and even cruel. But for local people participating in the Fest, it is a happy festival, with relatives and friends gathering together for food, drink, and musical accompaniment. They believe that living people should use happiness to commemorate their deceased ancestors. Only when everyone is happy can our ancestors be happy and bring blessings to future generations.
At Madagascar's Augur Festival, local people only have happy smiles but no painful tears. The celebrations had begun before the bodies of the ancestors were removed from the tomb. During the celebration, they drank and chatted and sang and danced with the accompaniment of a band. The entire ceremony was held in this cheerful atmosphere. Music is an important element of the Corpus Festival, mainly using brass instruments, which is reminiscent of ragtime, the predecessor of New Orleans jazz.
At the celebration site of the Fiction Festival, people carefully carried the remains of their ancestors, singing and dancing with the accompaniment of music. After everyone was ready, the people participating in the Festival walked or danced to the designated tomb, and the band also went. Sometimes, the celebration procession took a long walk to reach the tomb. Although Corpus is related to dead bodies, people's emotions are very cheerful, and part of this joy is related to the effects of alcohol and music. During the celebrations, people mainly drink locally brewed spirits.
The remains of the ancestors will be reburied along with gifts from loved ones-including wine. At the festival celebrations, vendors even set up stalls to sell cigarettes and ice cream to people attending the festival. The tomb is constructed of cement, stone or marble, depending on the financial conditions of the family. After everyone arrived, the Fest began the most important part-removing the bodies of ancestors from the graves.
Those closest to the deceased walked into the tomb, moved out the body, and then held a celebration. First, the stonemason would open the tomb door and let the relatives of the deceased into the tomb. They followed the tags on the shroud to search for the remains of their loved ones-usually only the bones-and then carefully moved them out of the grave. The moment the relatives walked out of the tomb with the bodies, some people attending the ceremony couldn't help but shed tears. The band stopped playing, and the scene was very quiet.
Malagasy family graves are even more maintained than their homes. After the ancestors 'bodies were moved out of the tomb, relatives carefully opened the shroud, then washed off the dirt on the bones with water, and finally wrapped them in a new shroud. The old shroud may be kept by women, who will swallow it or place it under mattresses in the hope of helping them become pregnant.
The band's accompaniment throughout the celebration, and the musicians 'endurance is admirable. During the process of putting on a new shroud, relatives would talk to the deceased and tell him about the latest news and grapevine. After wrapping it up, the band began to play again, relatives stopped crying, and the celebrations continued. Accompanied by a band, people carried the body, sang folk songs, danced their bodies, and there was laughter and laughter around the tomb.
The Fest is a great opportunity for vendors to make money, selling drinks and other necessities to those attending the ceremony. There is naturally no shortage of delicious food for celebrations, and the Day of the Corpse is no exception. During celebrations, relatives of the deceased had to prepare meals for all guests, sometimes before and sometimes after the ceremony. They would slaughter zebu cattle and entertain guests. The staple food was rice. Of course, if there is delicious food, there is naturally no shortage of good wine. In this way, those participating in the ceremony will have the mood to sing and dance.
Normally, people in the whole village are invited to participate in the celebrations of the Corpus Festival. After the celebrations, the remains of the ancestors will be returned to the tomb, usually before sunset. Before placing it back in the tomb, relatives would spray perfume on the body and bury it with flowers, wine and money. After the burial, the stonemason re-sealed the tomb door, and the relatives returned to their homes, bringing an end to the Fiction Festival celebrations.
The festivities of Decaf Corpus Festival are very lively and there are few quiet moments. The vast majority of Malagasy people do not believe that the departure of their ancestors means that they no longer have obligations to their ancestors, nor does it mean that they no longer communicate with their ancestors. With this understanding, it will be easy for you to understand the Corpus Festival. In the eyes of Malagasy people, deceased ancestors would look at them from heaven, guide and help them, and protect their safety. All of these are behaviors after death, which is why it is important to keep the ancestors happy.
As the remains of the ancestors were returned to the grave, the Fest came to an end. The festival is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia and was brought to Madagascar by the first colonists, approximately 1500 to 2000 years ago. Normally, the festival takes place once every seven years.
The only thing that doesn't want to be at the Festival is zebu. At the celebration, the humped cattle are slaughtered for guests. Malagasy people believe that if a living family member has a disease, a disaster, or dreams about ancestors, the ancestors need their attention. At this time, the Fest of the Corpse was held in advance. If relatives cannot afford the cost of the ceremony, the date of Quinci will be postponed until they can.
The march on the Corpus Festival may be quiet as they travel from the village to the tomb. Malagasy people prepare for the festival years in advance, and one of the big things is to save money. A proper turning of the corpse ritual costs a fortune. Malagasy people are clearly not misers, since they believe their departed ancestors can still influence their lives. All family members had to contribute money, otherwise they would not be buried in the family grave.
Relatives grieve at home for their lost loved ones. The shroud is made of expensive red silk. If it is not expensive, it can be replaced with cheap cotton cloth. The cost of the entire Fiction Festival is almost equivalent to the property of the whole village, which shows the importance that Malagasy people attach to this traditional festival.
The ceremony has ended and the guests are on their way home. Some Malagasy people are calling for a halt to holding the festival because the traditional festival places a huge financial burden on local people. They believe money should be spent on the living, not the dead.
In addition to some locals, Christians and Muslims also tried to end this century-old traditional festival, but ultimately failed. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church in Madagascar has accepted the ritual, but views it as a tradition rather than a religious ritual.
In order to save money, all relatives of the deceased buried in the family cemetery participated in the Fauchal ceremony at the same time rather than separately. Although supporters of the Festival of the Dead have always followed this tradition, the popularity of this traditional festival has declined. A Malagasy person said that depriving people of the right to hold the Corpus Dehne ceremony was like taking away their "spiritual landmark" and depriving them of an important emotional sustenance.
Anthropologist Professor Maurice Bullock pointed out that the Corpus Festival occupies an important position in the minds of Malagasy people. They use this unique way to express respect and nostalgia for the deceased, while also strengthening the emotional bonds between family members. In this sense, the Corpus is neither sick nor scary, but is a unique way for Malagasy people to express their love.