The Malagasy Fady is based on anecdotes and stories and their roots are hidden in traditional legends and myths.
For example, for the Mahafaly tribe living in South Madagascar it is Fady to eat the radiated tortoise. The history behind this Fady is that once some people from that tribe cooked a tortoise, after a little while someone looked into the pot but found out that the heart of the animal was still beating. This made them horrified and this is an example of how a Fady starts.
Fady goes hand in hand with the local religion. Pork is often Fady in sacred places. In several sacred sites of Antananarivo onions and salt are Fady, in the village of Ambohimanga pork and chicken are Fady and in Ankarana National Park it is Fady to speak the Merina language of the Highlands.
In many tribes it is Fady to kick the wall, or else the grandmother would die. No one wants the grandmother to die or the house to collapse.
It is believed that Vazimba graves have magical powers, these places are not to be desecrated and the spirits of the ancestors are not to be disturbed, therefore it is forbidden to go inside them and Those who do it will pay with their life.
Fady contribute to environmental protection Some plant and animal species still exist thanks to the Fady.
In Masoala National Park touching the Parsoni Chameleon brings bad luck, it is also prohibited to pick insectivorous plants in the surrounding villages of Masoala, as this would cause a flood.
In Northern Madagascar one should neither kill nor touch the Oustaleti Chameleon and for this reason this species is still common in this part of the island. At the sacred Lakes of the North it is Fady to catch the crocodiles living there. In the forest of Ambohimanga it Is Fady to pluck leaves – The entire forest is considered to be sacred and access is allowed only to selected people.
A violation of a Fady is paid off with a sacrifice. The sacrifices range anywhere from rum to poultry to zebus (a domesticated form of cattle). Grave desecration, for example, is compensated with a zebu, as tombs are holy sites for the Malagasy.
Fady is also a symbol of tribal affiliation The Antemoros of the South-Eastern coast of Madagascar, for example, do not eat pork and this probably comes from their Arab roots. The Merinas from Antananarivo don’t eat goat meat – Fady here is a kind of cultural differentiation from the other tribal groups. Inter-tribal marriages can fail because of differences in the tribe-specific Fady.
From the Malagasy perspective, people without Fady are a vanishing people. Fady plays a regulatory function in the Malagasy society, therefore, a trip to Madagascar is also a cultural journey through the Fady of the various tribal groups.