Malagasy culture The culture of Madagascar reflects the origins of the people Malagasy people in Southeast Asia, East Africa and Oceania. The influence of Arabs, Indians, British, French and Chinese settlers is also evident. The most emblematic instrument of Mada ...

, ''fady'' () are a wide range of cultural prohibitions or

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

s. 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 Africa ...

. The taboos are believed to be enforced by supernatural powers, and are particularly connected with Malagasy

ancestor worship The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

. 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, tow ...

and

identity formation Identity formation, also called identity development or identity construction, is a complex process in which humans develop a clear and unique view of themselves and of their Identity (social science), identity. Self-concept, personality developme ...

. The word is a descendant of

Proto-Austronesian Proto-Austronesian (commonly abbreviated as PAN or PAn) is a proto-language. It is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian languages, one of the world's major language families. Proto-Austronesian is assumed to have begun to diversify 3 ...

*''paliSi'' (compare with

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

''pemali'',

Old Javanese Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...

''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 deri ...

) 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.

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