Madagascar

By Amanda Prieto

-Hobbies for PreTeens/Teens in madagascar

“The people of Madagascar enjoy playing many sports, six of which form the core of the country's school- and amateur team-based competitive system: football (soccer), boxing, athletics (track and field), judo, women's basketball, and women's tennis.” Madagascar is a great place for outdoor activities. There are many outdoor activities to do in Madagascar, you can swim in the river or just walk around this place. “The people of Madagascar enjoy playing many sports, six of which form the core of the country's school- and amateur team-based competitive system: football (soccer), boxing, athletics (track and field), judo, women's basketball, and women's tennis.”

Coming of Age Traditions

“Madagascar is not short of interesting cultural traditions, and Famadihana is one of the most well-known. This practice, the 'turning of the bones', involves exhuming the remains of one's relatives, wrapping them in fresh silk shrouds (lamba) and then dancing around the tomb with them”.

Common/Traditional Foods

“In Madagascar, rice is the most consumed food. Rice is eaten two or three times a day. It is typical to have leftover or fresh rice for breakfast, sometimes served with condensed milk. Lunch and dinner consist of heaping mounds of rice topped with beef, pork, or chicken, with a vegetable relish. Beef is usually served only for a celebration or a religious offering. Koba, the national snack, is a paté (paste) of rice, banana, and peanut. Sakay, a hot red pepper, is usually served on the side with all Malagasy dishes. Dessert usually consists of fruit, sometimes flavored with vanilla”.

Customary Attire

“A lamba is the traditional garment worn by men and women that live in Madagascar. The textile, highly emblematic of Malagasy culture, consists of a rectangular length of cloth wrapped around the body. The lamba, or woven textile, is anything but stiff fabric or a static form. It is meant to be worn and, as clothing, offers the wearer opportunities for individuality and self-expression. The lamba was and remains today a symbol of identity, social rank, wealth, age and ethnicity”.

Religion(s)

“Although there are many variations, nearly all Malagasy share certain basic religious ideas, the central one being belief in the immortality of the soul. Besides the almighty (called Andrianahary or Zanahary), secondary divinities are recognized, including the earliest inhabitants of the island, legendary kings and queens, and other great ancestors. The burial sites of these secondary deities are objects of veneration and pilgrimage. Muslims are concentrated mostly in the north and northwest. There is also a small number of Hindus among the Indian population. The constitution allows for freedom of religion and this right is generally respected in practice. However, the government restricted the activities of some religious groups following the 2009 coup. Some religious leaders have faced abuse by police and state security forces because of their political stand against the government.