Alamahadibe or the Malagasy New Year celebrated yesterday

Celebrated on the first three days of the first lunar month, the Malagasy New Year, also known as Alamahadibe, was being celebrated yesterday in Anosimanjaka, Ambohidratrimo.  Generally, the majority of Malagasy people do not know much about this traditional event. And if some of them do, they often mistake Alamahadibe with another traditional event called Asaramanitra, explained Ernould Raharinosy, a member of the Association “Zanadranavalona” which is the main organizer of the Alamahadibe.  

During yesterday’s celebration, diverse events were scheduled including traditional music and dance shows, the “fafirano” (ritual bath), the “zara hena” (meat distribution), and of course the official speeches made by some government officials led by the Minister in charge of Culture and National Heritage, Mireille Mialy Rakotomalala. The Alamahadibe is a traditional event celebrated by the majority of Malagasy people during the monarchy periods. According to the oral tradition, the Malagasy people inherit the Alamahadibe from the Arabs, more precisely from a certain Abib who introduced the event to the Malagasy culture. It was the King Ralambo who celebrated first the Alamahadibe. However, with the introduction of Christianity in Madagascar, the event became less and less celebrated.  But worse than that, during the colonization period, the Alamahadibe was absolutely banned.