82 
MADAGASCAR. 
again upon the balcony of her palace, and cries 
to her people, “ Samba, samba, no tratra hariva, 
taona ! ” (“ We have reached the eve of the new 
year, happy! happy!”)—to which her subjects 
reply by shouts of “ Trarantitra ! ” (“ May you 
reach a good old age ! ”) The Queen then passes 
along the balcony, and from a horn in her hand 
sprinkles the crowd, which sprinkling is said to 
typify an abundance of rain during the coming 
year. There is much that is Jewish in their 
observance of this season, and it is evident that 
many of the ceremonies are derived, if not from 
Jewish sources, at least from traditions of a very 
remote antiquity. It may be interesting in this 
connection to say that there is a tribe in the 
south, which was visited some years ago for the 
first time, who are called in Malagasy, “ Zanaka- 
Ibraim” (Sons of Abraham). Many of their 
words are Hebrew Malagasy, and they also use 
some of the Hebrew letters in their writings, and 
retain many Jewish traditions amongst them to 
this day. The fact, however, that they have 
retained their name unchanged, is perhaps the 
most remarkable, as that evidently points to an 
origin neither Polynesian nor African, but most 
probably Arabian or Abyssinian. The sprinkling 
of blood upon the door-posts and lintel of the 
houses, and, in some cases, suspending a rush or 
bunch of grass dipped in blood over the entrance 
