All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day is dedicated to the memory of the deceasedAll Saints Day in Madagascar, as in many other countries, is dedicated to the memory of the dead. This day is traditionally dedicated to the ancestors and places of their burial. For Malagasy people, dead ancestors are mediators between God and people. Ancestors bring happiness and prosperity or, conversely, punish their descendants with disease, poverty and trouble. All their lives, Malagasy people try to earn the affection and respect of their ancestors. They fulfill all their desires.

Many families in Madagascar save years to perform the traditional ritual of reburial of ancestors. For each family, the reburial of an ancestor is a special holiday. This is a separate solemn ritual. From the stone crypt are taken ashes wrapped in a cornea. The audience gathered for the holiday does not hide its joy of a new meeting with the deceased. The ashes of the dead are wrapped in a new cloth. Then the relatives, carrying cloth with ashes, return home. One night the deceased ancestors must spend in their own home, take part in a great holiday.

The next day, the actual reburial of the ashes takes place, transferring it to another crypt. Farewell is accompanied by a request to the deceased to bless his descendants day and night.