The Tsangantsainy is the name of the royal post or monument which is raised to symbolize the marriage of the Zafimbolafotsy dynasty with the Antakarana soil.
Two trunks of the Hazoambo tree (Homalium axillare) are joined together to make the Antakarana king’s flagpole. The pole Symbolises masculinity, whereas the soil represents fertility, the mother earth. Should the pole rot or decay with time it is replaced by a new one.
This ritual symbolIses the continuity of the dynasty and has been practiced since the time of King Tsimihoro 1 ( 1822-1882) to the present day.
The Tsangantsainy ceremony takes place once every five years of Ambatoharanana, the capital of the Antakarana kingdom, close to the Royal residente.
