Famadihana

The custom is based upon a belief that the spirits of the dead finally join the world of the ancestors after the body's complete decomposition and appropriate ceremonies, which may take many years.

In Madagascar, this became a regular ritual usually once every five to seven years, and the custom brings together extended families in celebrations of kinship, sometimes even those with troubled relations.

The Catholic Church, however, no longer objects to the practice, because it regards Famadihana as purely cultural rather than religious.

"[1][2] Additionally, the practice of Famadihana is thought to be connected to pneumonic plague transmission in the region.

The Malagasy government has issued rulings forbidding the practice for individuals who died of plague, but there have been reports of people ignoring this decree.