Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/227

Rh constellations of the Zodiac, they really represented the 28 "Moon-stations" of the Arabs. In Flacourt's time (230 years ago) these were still retained on the south-east coast, but in the interior of Madagascar they have been superseded by a somewhat simplified nomenclature, that is, by simply calling them first and second, or first, second, and third (or equivalent names), as the case may be, of each month, Alàhamàdy, Adaoro, and the rest. (b) The Malagasy year was a lunar one (345 days). And (c) both the sun and the moon take their place as governors of the days of the week.

5. Besides the division of the year into months, the Malagasy have from time immemorial known a hebdomadal unit, the week, the days of which have Arabic names. These days were thought to be under the special influence of the "Seven Planets" (i.e., what were by the ancients so called, viz., the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn), as will be noticed presently under Sanandro.

"It is easy to see", says Mr. Dahle, "that the whole life of a Malagasy would be thought to be under the influence