314 NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL. 



the king named Ralambo first instituted the observance of 

 the festival, the same chieftain who is celebrated as having 

 discovered the excellence of beef. 



The first ceremonies are held on the last day but one of 

 the old year. The great people of the kingdom meet the 

 sovereign in the principal palace, and a red cock is then 

 brought by the chief diviner. Its neck is wrung, and the 

 blood being caught in a banana leaf, is carried to the sove- 

 reign ; this blood he takes with the nail of the left-hand little 

 finger and with it touches his forehead, neck, stomach, arm- 

 pit, finger-nails, and toe-nails ; the rest of the assembly fol- 

 lowing the example. This blood is allowed to remain on. 



On the following day the great people assemble again, 

 wearing the handsome red silk lamba, and in the morning the 

 royal tomb-houses in the palace-yard are swept and furnished 

 with mats. In the evening they assemble again for the royal 

 bathing in the great palace. Native music of the old style is 

 played, together with that of more modern European fashion, 

 and the representatives of the six royal clans, and of those 

 from the commoners and the army, present the dollar of alle- 

 giance. A fire on a temporary hearth of red earth is pre- 

 pared in the middle of the great hall, and numerous pots of 

 rice are put on to cook. Then the Queen proceeds to bathe ; 

 this she does in the north-east (the sacred) corner of the 

 house, in a silver bath, being screened from view by lamhas 

 held up by her attendants. The cannon are fired and a royal 

 salute given. After bathing the Queen takes a horn of water 

 in her hand and sprinkles those present, pronouncing a bene- 

 diction and asking for a blessing on the new year, in certain 

 prescribed formulaB. She then goes to the open door to the 

 west and sprinkles those outside. The rice mixed with honey 

 is then partaken of by the Queen and the assembled guests, 

 the spoons being made of banana leaves tied up with fine 

 tendrils of some plant. Several salutes are fired, and the 

 assembly disperses at between ten and eleven o'clock. The 

 new year is then supposed to have begun, it being called the 

 first of the month Alahamady, and the new moon of that 

 month. Since the accession of the present sovereign, how- 

 ever (1868), the festival has been held at the time of full 



