The many fady (forbidden or taboo) occupy a very important place in the life of the Malgaches.
Before the existence of schools to Madagascar , the education of children was based on the transmission of oral traditions from one generation to another. Tales and legends of old, stories of lived and proverb experiences were used by elders to teach young people to distinguish the good from evil. A multitude of taboos and prohibitions (fady) reign in families or communities to teach young children the know-how and the art of doing well in society. Compared to all this, many forbids have tragic effects in the event of a violation.
The influence of bans on the education of children
The fady or forbidden are precepts to which the malgaches of old were folded with respect and consideration. They are transmitted from one generation to another through education, whose elders are responsible. Not doing all of these things considered prohibited was the lot of children in old age.
" Never point a tomb with a finger at the risk of losing the guilty phalange or making the wrong person leper."
“ Never kick the wall at the risk of leading to the death of the maternal or paternal grandmother.”
" Never whistle after nightfall, otherwise ghosts will come."
In short, there were as many fun or funny fady as there were communities in Madagascar. Many fady survived over time and remain in force. Some people have to take seriously. Transgressing these prohibitions may result in physical, moral or material harm to the perpetrator or his relatives.
Collective prohibitions
Sometimes the prohibitions apply to an age category, a family line, a well-defined clan or a whole society, all nationalities. The non-respect of the latter can cause serious trouble.
In Malagasy, there are collective fadys governing a whole line or a well-defined place. This is the case with the consumption of any food containing pork, goat or garlic. Those who dared to break them met unhappy experiences. Some say they had pustules on all parts of the body, while others say that bad spirits harassed them during their sleep several nights in a row. The tombs of kings and the territories of vazimba also banish the consumption of pork meat. Train to those who have consumed it and dare to approach these sacred places without taking a shower beforehand.
The bans are also used to preserve the larches. To do this, the peasants hold “kalo” (amulets) to the branches of fruit trees or in the middle of a field. These amulets are capable of retaining the culprit stuck to the tree’s trunk or compel it to do fieldwork until the owner comes to the crime scene.
So be careful and take the fady of Madagascar seriously. They say their powers are able to cross the borders...
Main photo credit: Wikimedia – Robin Taylor
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