In
Malagasy culture, ''fady'' () are a wide range of cultural prohibitions or
taboos. People, places, actions or objects may be the subject of ''fady'', which vary by region within
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...
. The taboos are believed to be enforced by supernatural powers, and are particularly connected with Malagasy
ancestor worship. Although some are held nationwide, others may be particular to regions, villages or even individual families. ''Fady'' are an integral part of Malagasy identity and play an important part in
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...
and
identity formation. The word is a descendant of
Proto-Austronesian *''paliSi'' (compare with
Malay ''pemali'',
Old Javanese ''pali-pali'').
Common prohibitions include those against pointing at a tomb, against the eating of eels by pregnant women and, for onlookers, against describing a newborn baby as ugly. New ''fady'' are created constantly. When a new initiative or business is started, a ritual offering (''joro'') must be made to prove that it is not ''fady''. Those who break a ''fady'' (''ota fady'' in the
infinitive
Infinitive ( abbreviated ) is a linguistics term for certain verb forms existing in many languages, most often used as non-finite verbs. As with many linguistic concepts, there is not a single definition applicable to all languages. The word is de ...
) are shunned as unclean (''maloto'') and for endangering the community's spiritual balance, regardless of whether or not the infraction was deliberate. Foreigners in Madagascar are advised to respect local ''fady'' and alter their behavior accordingly.
''Fady'' also form an important influence in other aspects of Malagasy culture. The
Malagasy for "please" or "excuse me" is ''azafady'', literally translating as "may it not be ''fady'' to me".
Some writers have argued that ''fady'' are conceptually similar to unwritten social taboos in
western culture
Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''.
image:Plato Pio-Cle ...
, in which disregard can lead to the violator being shunned by the community.
Footnotes
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