Culture

5 African festivals to celebrate instead of Halloween

Famadihana- Madagascar 

Among its people, the Famadihana Festival is known as the turning of bones festival. The festival is a time of dancing with the dead where many rituals are performed by the traditional heads of families to honour loved ones who have died.

Unlike many festivals that are celebrated annually, the Famadihana is celebrated every seven years. In the process of celebration, families are expected to open crypts or burial grounds and wrap the remains of the dead in new cloth. It is believed to be a way of keeping the house of the dead clean and reconnecting with them after several years.

The festival s still very celebrated in Madagascar but has seen a drastic decline with the introduction of Christianity into the country.

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Elizabeth Ofosuah Johnson

Elizabeth Johnson is a Ghanaian –Nigerian avid reader and lover of the Creative Arts. She is also a writer and has worked with various online platforms as an editor and content creator. She also produces a literary radio show and has worked as a festival administrator. Her story was featured in the 2017 Independence anthology by Afridiaspora. Her play has been staged by African Theater Workshop and she is the 2018 winner of the Random Thoughts writing Prize.

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