rastafarian religious beliefs practices and culture
Rastafarian Religious Beliefs, Practices, and Culture
With "Snoop Dogg" changing his name to "Snoop Lion", a lot of curiosity is building over the Rastafarian culture. This Buzzle article tells you all you need to know about the "Ganja" people, and their way of life - the history, the customs, the beliefs, the language, the diet, and much more.
Did You Know?
The Rastafari vocabulary substitutes most negative words in the English language with positive ones. For example, "dedicated", "oppressed", and "understand" are substituted with "lavicated", "downpressed", and "overstand" (respectively), in the Rastafari dialect.
The Rastafari religion is an Ethiopian-Hebrew spirituality that developed in the 1930s, in Jamaica, a Caribbean island located in the Greater Antilles, south of Cuba. The members of the religion are called Rastafaris or Rastas, and make four percent of the total Jamaican population. The name comes from Haile Selassie's pre-coronation name, "Ras Tafari". Although the religion might sometimes be referred to as "Rastafarianism", the term is frowned upon by the Rastas, who consider "ism" as a part of the Babylon culture, which is rejected by the Rastafari way of living.
History
Language
The Rastafarian language is commonly known as "Dread-talk", "Rasta-talk", "Livalect", "Iyaric" or "I-talk". The vocabulary has been developed by the Rastas themselves, and strongly rejects the Babylonian language conventions. The language developed around the 1940s to describe the Rastafarian way of living in a better way. It is more of a different set of vocabulary than a dialect. The dialect strongly reflects the Rastafarian beliefs, and replaces most of the negative words with the positive ones. The Rastas believe that most African languages were lost when the Africans were enslaved, and are of the belief that English is an imposed colonial language. They, therefore developed their own dialect and modified their vocabulary, as a way to fight the corrupted society of Babylon.Diet
The Rastafarian diet is called I-tal, believed to have stemmed from vital. Rastas follow the dietary laws of the old testament and avoid all kinds of meat and fish. This is due to the belief that touching meat is very much like touching death, and that the meat rots inside your body, which is considered as a temple in the Rastafari culture. This is, however, limited to those who have taken the Nazirite vow. Many Rastas may adopt a complete vegan or vegetarian diet though. Rastas believe that the abstinence cleanses their body to serve in the presence of the Ark of Convent. Alcohol, too, is prohibited while following the I-tal diet. All kinds of processed foods are prohibited, allowing Rastas to eat only what is natural, considered "pure" food. Alcohol, coffee, and drugs (except for ganja) are looked down upon as the Babylonian way of polluting and confusing people.Marijuana
Rastas give religious significance to Marijuana, and consider its use to be sacred, believing that the following biblical text justifies it.
- He causeth the grass of the cattle, and herb for the services of man. - Psalm 104:14
- ... thou shalt eat the herb of the field. - Genesis 3.18
- Better is a dinner of herb where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. - Proverbs 15:17
- ... eat every herb of the land. - Exodus 10:12
Clothing and Colors
Dreadlocks
Worship
The Rastas do not worship in a particular religious building, but hold weekly meetings at a fellow Rasta's home or in a community center. The Reasoning sessions, as they are called, include discussions, chanting, praying, and singing. To go into a deeper spiritual state, marijuana may also be smoked. The music is known as Nyabinghi, the reason why the meetings may also be called Nyabinghi meetings.