HOVA MARRIAGE RITES. 25 1 



however, being confined to the first wife), while he is called by 

 her Tbm^pokolahy (" sir," or " my lord "), or Bainjanaka or 

 Bainianaka, that is, " father of a child." Marriage is called 

 fananibadiana, " the state of having a partner," and the word 

 for wedding is fampakaram-hady, apparently from the root 

 akatra, " ascended, got, or fetched." A widow is mpitdndra- 

 Una, " one who carries one's self ; " she is also called ampda- 

 Idntotra (umpda, spindle, vantotra, middle-sized). An orphan 

 is kavibbty, and another word was also used, but now nearly 

 obsolete, asbrotdnitsisdtry. Asbrotany is the name of the 

 fourth month, most of which is unlucky ; tsy satry, " is not 

 wished," or " not intended." 



Among the Hovas a marriage is celebrated first at the 

 house of the bride's father, and then at that of the bride- 

 groom's family. The young couple sit together to eat rice 

 and other food with one spoon from the same dish. A hand- 

 some silk l^mba is thrown round them both, and the marriage 

 becomes legal and binding by presenting a small sum of 

 money to the bride's parents or guardians. This is called the 

 vbdi-bndry, lit., " sheep's rump," and no doubt used in former 

 times to consist of that portion of a sheep. 



Among some, at least, of the Malagasy peoples there are 

 certain marriage customs which seem connected with the 

 widely-extended practice of taking a wife by force from her 

 father's family. Thus among the Sakal^vas when a young 

 man wishes to obtain a girl as his wife, his courage and 

 suitable qualifications are tested in the following way : — 

 Placed at a certain distance from a clever caster of the spear, 

 he is bidden to catch between his arm and side every spear 

 thrown by the man opposite to him. If he displays fear or 

 fails to catch the spear he is ignominiously rejected ; but if 

 there be no flinching and the spears are caught, he is at once 

 proclaimed an " accepted lover." It is said that a similar 

 custom prevailed among the B^tsil^o,'"'' and probably further 

 research would reveal something like it in other Malagasy 

 tribes. A betrothed girl is fofomhady, a bespoken or engaged 

 wife, and it is considered quite proper that such should 



* See Antananarivo Annual, No. ii. 1S76, p. 22. 



