Many centuries ago, in the times of the Vazimba, there existed the Zazavavindrano, the daughters of water. One of them was Ranoro. This is her story. One day, a young man from the Betsileo ran to the Mamba River in the central highlands of Madagascar. The man’s name was Andriambodilova. In the middle of the river, he spotted a beautiful …
LesenSchlagwort-Archiv: Tradition Madagascar
The art of speech: Kabary
In Madagascar time often plays no role, but talking to each other extensively does. One form of speech is particularly popular on the Red Island: the Kabary. Kabary is the word for a speech for which many people are together in the same place. At the same time, it is a very traditional form of oral history that can be …
LesenTaboos and traditions: The Fady in Madagascar
As a traveller in Madagascar, you will hear about fadys sooner or later. Fady is the Malagasy word for taboo and probably derives from the Indonesian “pady”. But taboo is not the only meaning of this word, it is also used to call something sacred. Fadys are rules that concern situations as well as people, animals, locations or a certain …
LesenWhere the name Vazaha for white people comes from
Once upon a time, long ago, a young king and his wife lived on the west coast of Madagascar, in Menabe. This king loved to speak before his people and to give Kabarys. One day, during one of his Kabarys, a baby started crying. When it wouldn’t stop and the mother couldn’t calm the baby, the king got angry. How …
LesenFamadihana – Turning the deads
That Madagascar is always good for a surprise was already clear to me on my first trip in 1995. But this trip should be a little different. With our guests, we were on our way to the south of Madagascar, and at our stopover in Antsirabe, 170 kilometers from the capital, we settled down in a cozy hotel. Actually we …
LesenThe city of woodcarvers
Ambositra in the Amoron’i Mania region is a larger city with around 30,000 inhabitants. It is located about 180 km south of the capital Antananarivo in the highlands, directly on the RN7, and is very easy to reach from Antananarivo. The city is famous for its many woodcarving workshops, many of which can be visited and watched over the artists’ …
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