Culture & etiquette
Ancestral Traditions
Different practices, different regions
Ways of honouring ancestors differ sharply by region. None of the following is a national custom.
Highlands — famadihana, the reburial ceremony, is practised by the Merina and Betsileo only.
South (Mahafaly, Antandroy) — monumental tombs, carved aloalo posts and zebu sacrifice.
Bara country — cave burials in the massifs.
Southeast (Antaisaka, Antaimoro) — communal kibory second burials.
Placeholder detail for each practice to follow.