A traditional culture in respect for the Malagasay ancestors, living family members gather at the tomb, where stone and mud are prised open and the straw-wrapped ancestors are brought out. They are carefully re-wrapped in special local scarves and sprayed with perfume. Women who are having trouble conceiving will take a fragment of the old shroud and put it under their mattress. Family members may sit with the bodies or dance around the tomb before they are returned to their resting place with offerings.
