88 OLD STYLE DIVISION OF TIME 



Malagasy months are all Arabic in origin, as indeed are also the 

 days of the week (Alahady (Sunday), Alatsinainy (Monday), 

 Talata (Tuesday), Alarobia (Wednesday), etc.) ; but it is curious 

 that the month names are not the Arabic names of the months, 

 but are those of the constellations of the Zodiac. Thus, Ala- 

 hamady is the Ram, Adaoro is the Bull (daoro =taurus), 

 Adizaoza is the Twins, and so on. This appears to have arisen 

 from the connection between astrology and the divination 

 (siJddy] introduced by the Arabs several centuries ago. 



The New Year was the great festival of the Malagasy and was 

 observed on the first day of the first month, Alahamady. It 

 was called the Fandroana or " Bathing," and was kept up until 

 the French conquest in 1895, but since then has been super- 

 seded by the Fete of the French Republic on 14th July every 

 year. The ancient customs were, however, very interesting, 

 and were chiefly the following : (1) The lighting of little 

 bundles of dried grass at dusk on the evenings of the last day of 

 the old year and the first of the new one. These fires, possibly 

 a relic of the old fire-worship, were called harendrina, and 

 formed one of the most pleasing features of the festival in the 

 gathering darkness of the evening. (2) The ceremonial Royal 

 Bathing at the great palace, when all the principal people of the 

 kingdom were present, as well as representative foreigners, was 

 the most prominent of all the ceremonies, giving, as it did, the 

 name to the whole festival. At a fixed time in the evening the 

 queen retired behind curtains fixed at the north-east (the 

 sacred corner) of the great hall and bathed in a silver bath ; after 

 which she emerged, robed and crowned, and, carrying a horn 

 of water in her hands, went down the assembly to the door, 

 sprinkling the people as she passed. (She would playfully give 

 some of us an extra splash as she went along.) (3) On the 

 following day came the killing of oxen, doubtless the most 

 important of all the observances in the estimation of the people 

 generally, at any rate of the poorer classes, who then got, for 

 once a year at least, a plentiful supply of beef. Presents of the 

 newly killed meat were sent about in all directions to relatives 

 and friends, and feasting and merry-making prevailed for 

 several days among all classes. $ (4) For some time previous to 

 the actual festival it was customary for the Malagasy to visit 

 their elders and superiors in rank, bringing presents of money, 



