The Turning of the Bones|与尸共舞

The Turning of the Bones

by William Ryan

Would you dig up a dead ancestor and dance with their bones?

　　The African island of Madagascar has one of the most unusual cultural festivals in existence on the planet. Malagasy, as the _(1)_ of the people of Madagascar are called, celebrate their family ties with a very unique ritual. Every seven years or so, they open up the family graves to bring out the remains of their dead ancestors and wrap them in new cloth. After much preparation and expense, they carry the corpses high in the air while dancing with them _(2)_ joyous music. The extremely happy _(3)_ is called Famadihana, which is also known as turning of the bones.

　　A few traditional Malagasy beliefs are _(4)_ the heart of Famadihana. One is that people are created not from mud but from the bodies of their ancestors. Malagasy therefore _(5)_ their relatives in high regard. According to another traditional belief, the dead do not leave for good until their bodies have completely returned to the earth. They also believe that their ancestors are able to communicate with the living. Famadihana is how the Malagasy shower their ancestors with love and _(6)_. It is perhaps surprising that Famadihana is not an ancient practice. Its origins have been _(7)_ back to only the 17th century.

　　Not all Malagasy believe their ancestors are capable of communicating with the living, though. Despite having their doubts about the ritual, those who are more educated and less traditional continue to _(8)_ the custom since they consider it to be valuable in strengthening family ties. The energy and enthusiasm of Famadihana is naturally a time for putting aside familial, generational, and _(9)_ conflicts. Highly symbolic and _(10)_ to the Malagasy, the custom shows no signs of dying out.

(A) occasion (B) affection (C) tribal (D) majority (E) meaningful

(F) at (G) support (H) to (I) hold (J) traced

 

 

与尸共舞

你会把死去的祖先挖出来，还与他们的骨头共舞吗？

　　非洲的马达加斯加岛存在着一项这个星球上最不寻常的文化节庆。大多数马达加斯加人被称为『马拉加西』（Malagasy），他们会以一种非常独特的仪式来庆祝他们家族间的牵绊。每七年左右，他们就会挖开祖坟，把死去先人的遗体搬出来并以新布包裹。经过一番准备及人力消耗之后，家族的人会将尸体抬在空中，并随着欢愉的音乐和尸体一同起舞。这项极为欢乐的重大活动被称之为『翻尸节』，也可称为『翻骨节』（turning of the bones）。

　　几种马拉加西的传统信念是翻尸节的重心。其中一项信念便是，人不是由泥中而生，而是从自己祖先的尸体而生。马拉加西人因而对于他们的亲属极为尊崇。而根据另一项传统的信仰，死者直到完全回归于尘土之前，并不会永远离去。马拉加西人同时也认为他们的祖先能与活着的人进行沟通。翻尸节也是马拉加西人将爱与感情大量地传达给祖先的方式。翻尸节并不是一种古老的做法，这也许会令人感到很惊讶。因为它的起源仅能追溯至十七世纪。

　　但并不是所有的马拉加西人都认为他们的祖先能与活着的人进行沟通。尽管他们对这项仪式有所疑虑，但那些受过较高教育以及没那么传统的人还是继续支持着这项传统，因为他们认为这个仪式对于加强家族间的牵绊非常重要。翻尸节的精神及热情很自然就把家族间、世代间及部落间的冲突都放到一边。对马拉加西人来说，翻尸节极具象征且有意义，因此这项传统毫无式微的迹象。

 

答案： 1. D 2. H 3. A 4. F 5. I

6. B 7. J 8. G 9. C 10. E