Dancing with the Dead

Jules Rakotoarasoa dances at the Famadihana he hosted for his parents.

A man waits for his rooster's turn to fight at a cockfight in the village of Ambohibary.

Jules Rakotoarasoa laughs with relatives while a pig is slaughtered for the Famadihana.

Musicians play at a party the night before the Famadihana.

People dance at the Famadihana.

The band waits to play the procession to the cemetery on the morning of the Famadihana.

The procession heads to the cemetery on the day of the Famadihana.

A man waits at the open doors of the crypt.

Jules Rakotoarasoa and a relative drink rum in the crypt as they retrieve bodies for the Famadihana.

A father and son pose for a picture during the Famadihana.

The bodies of Charles and Julienne Rakatoarasoa are wrapped together in a single shroud during the Famadihana.

An elderly woman watches as bodies are rewrapped during the Famadihana.

A wrapped corpse during the Famadihana.

A family holds the body of a relative and dance with it during the Famadihana.

Families process around the crypt during the Famadihana.

In the central highlands of Madagascar the tradition of Famadihana sees families come together to disinter the remains of deceased relatives and celebrate with them. Read a personal take on it here.