HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
445 
from either; or for the planting of rice, sowing seed, laying 
the foundation of a house, marrying, &c. 
The different provinces in the island have different modes 
of calculating the character of given days; but the varieties 
are too unimportant to be separately particularised, or 
enumerated. The natives of the interior appear to be 
indebted to those of the coast for what they know of the 
subject, and these again to the Arabs, who have long been 
settled in Matitangna (Matitanana.) 
The Malagasy year is lunar, consisting of twelve months, 
or more properly moons. (Yolana is the only word in the 
Malagasy language for the two words month and moon— 
and its proper signification is the latter.) The division of 
the year into four seasons has been already described in 
the account given of the climate. 
The names of the twelve moons are as follows, as they 
are denominated in the interior of the island, on the eastern 
coast, by the Betsimisaraka, and on the west by the Saka- 
lava. Those of the interior, it will be seen, are quite dif¬ 
ferent from those on the coast; and on the two coasts 
nearly similar names are employed for moons at different 
parts of the year:— 
English. Malagasy Moons. 
Interior. 
East. 
West. 
April . . 
1 . . 
Alahamady 
Volasira . . 
Sakamasay 
May . . 
2 . . 
Adaoro . . 
Ifosa . . . 
Sakavehy 
June . . 
3 . . 
Adizaozy . . 
Maka . . . 
Volambita 
July . . 
4 . . 
Asorotany . . 
Tsiahia . . . 
Saramaimbo 
August . 
5 . . 
Alahasaty . . 
Sakasay 
Saramanitra 
September . 
6 . . 
Asombola . 
Sakavehy . . 
Vatravatra 
October 
7 . . 
Adimizana 
Volambita . . 
Anjoloka 
November . 
8 . . 
Alakarabo . . 
Saramantzina . 
Volasira 
December . 
9 . . 
Alakaozy . . 
Tsiaramar.itra 
Hatsiha 
January 
10 . . 
Adijady . . 
Vatravatra . . 
Zaray 
February . 
11 . . 
Adalo . . . 
Asotry . . 
Maka 
March . 
12 . . 
Alahotsy . . 
Hatsiha . . 
Hiahia 
