RITES AND CEREMONIES. 
81 
the end of the palace, with the sign of royalty, 
the red umbrella, extended over her. As the 
fandroana is a peculiarly Malagasy commemora¬ 
tion, it is always directed that everything Euro¬ 
pean should be put aside, and that nothing but 
native customs and attire should be adopted. 
The Queen on this occasion wore a native robe of 
great beauty and simplicity, white, with the royal 
fringe all around it. Sitting there in state, 
surrounded by her officers and chief ministers, 
she received the homage of her people, who 
crowded the courtyard below the balcony, with 
their presents of rice, honey, nuts, offerings of 
money, and immense bundles of firewood. The 
latter is a sensible provision for the enormous 
amount of extra cooking which is done at the 
fandroana. On the eve of the great day of the 
feast, just before sunset, a small fire of dry grass 
is lighted in every courtyard, and the boys fasten 
torches of dry grass to long sticks, and perambu¬ 
late the streets of the city with them. The effect 
is very pretty when viewed from the higher 
points of the capital. These fires are apparently 
a relict of some system of fire-worship, which 
originated in Eastern Asia, and is still practised 
by the Parsees. 
This is the real commencement of the new 
year; and amid the firing of cannon and the 
congratulations of the people, the Queen appears 
F 
